Vietnam parliament elects army general Luong Cuong as state president

Vietnam’s parliament elected on Monday army general Luong Cuong as the new state president in a widely anticipated move that is expected to bring some stability to Vietnamese politics after a turbulent phase of departures and reshuffles.

Cuong, 67, takes over the role from To Lam, who was appointed president in May and then also took on the more powerful job of party chief following the death in July of general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Cuong was elected with the vote of all the 440 deputies who attended the parliament session on Monday.

He currently holds a key position in the secretariat of Vietnam’s Communist Party, which made him the fifth-highest ranking official in the country after party chief, president, prime minister and parliament’s chairman. Cuong is also a member of the Politburo, the party’s top decision-making body.

The state president holds little direct power but represents the country in high-level meetings with foreign dignitaries. In his short spell as president, Lam has met the leaders of China, Russia and the United States, among others.

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