(RepublicanDaily.org) – Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party has passed away at the age of 80 years old.
Vietnam’s state media outlets first reported the news, saying that the one of the most influential figures in the country’s communist regime died at the 108 Military Central Hospital in Hanoi. “Old age” and “serious illness” were cited as the cause of death.
Nguyen’s death officially creates a power vacuum in the country’s powerful communist party. Infighting had already begun earlier as news of his declining health circulated, as factions formed over who was the best candidate to replace him.
For now, however, 67-year-old To Lam has been tapped to replace Nguyen and will hold the title of interim secretary general as the party moves to appoint an official successor. Lam assumed the post of the country’s president in May after several predecessors stepped down due to allegations of corruption – an issue that both Nguyen and Lam have a reputation of coming down hard on. The similarity of Lam’s stance and approach to corruption have made him one of the favorites to take over the party’s leadership, which will be decided at next Party Congress in 2026.
“It’s very unlikely that anyone can stop him from clinching the job,” said Le Hong Hiep, a former foreign minister for Vietnam who is now a senior fellow with Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Lam is expected to step up on public spending as the government improves local infrastructure and enhance other things in a bid to attract more foreign investment into the country. The downside of the government’s intense crackdown on graft and corruption was that it made officials wary of approving government spending projects.
Prior to becoming Vietnam’s president, Lam was the country’s minister of public security. He held the post for eight years, and was a critical component of the anti-corruption drive that saw the downfall of several party members in high-profile cases.
Copyright 2024, RepublicanDaily.org
