Vietnam Moves Closer to Naming Party Chief’s Ally as President
- Nomination sets up succession battle ahead of party congress
- Next president seen carrying on Trong’s conservative agenda
This article is for subscribers only.
Vietnam’s Communist Party agreed to nominate a close ally of its chief Nguyen Phu Trong to take over the presidency, boosting his control over economic policy after running an anti-graft crackdown to boot out internal rivals.
The Central Committee on Wednesday proposed two-time Politburo member Vo Van Thuong to become the next president during a special meeting, according to two people familiar with the matter. The nomination will need to be approved by the legislature the following day before Thuong officially takes the role, they said.