Vietnam has nominated its Public Security Minister, To Lam, as the new president, the state media on Saturday reported. This decision follows the resignation of his predecessor amid an ongoing anti-corruption campaign that has significantly impacted the country’s political landscape.
The Communist Party’s Central Committee has agreed To Lam’s nomination as president. The Politburo member, Lam, is likely to get approval from Vietnam’s rubber-stamp National Assembly during its next session on Monday.
Former President Vo Van Thuong stepped down in March after serving just over a year in the position. His predecessor, Truong Thi Mai, also resigned in 2023, citing ‘political responsibility’ for corruption scandals during the pandemic.
The anti-graft campaign is spearheaded by Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, a 79-year-old ideologue who considers corruption the most serious threat to the party. Trong has vowed that no one is immune in what he calls the ‘blazing furnace’ campaign.
Lam (66), has spent more than four decades at the Ministry of Public Security, assuming the role of minister in 2016. He has been a key figure in the execution of anti-corruption measures.
