Luong Cuong has been elected by the Vietnamese National Assembly as head of state for an initial term of 2021-2026. At Monday's meeting, all 440 members of the National Assembly voted unanimously for the 67-year-old politician.
MTI recalled that this is the fourth time in the last 18 months that a new head of state has been elected. He takes over from To Lam, who has been in office since May but was appointed general secretary of the ruling Communist Party in August. In Vietnam, the post of General Secretary of the Communist Party is the most important office, while the office of head of state has ceremonial significance. At the same time, the post of head of state is one of the four most important political positions, alongside the General Secretary of the Communist Party, the Prime Minister, and the Speaker of Parliament.
Luong Cuong has a military career spanning four decades. He was promoted to general in 2019, becoming only the 15th person to hold such a high rank. - Luong Cuong's appointment is a clear attempt to restore the balance between Vietnam's military and security factions, especially because of the Party Congress due in 2026," Nguyen Khac Giangot, visiting researcher on Vietnam at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, was quoted by MTI as saying.
In his inaugural speech, he pledged to develop the country's defense capabilities and pursue an independent and multilateral foreign policy. He pledged to "strengthen the country's defense and security and build an army that is revolutionary, well-trained, agile and modern".
