ASIATODAY.ID, HANOI – The Communist Party of Vietnam has accepted the resignation of President Vo Van Thuong on Wednesday, March 20 2024, as a sign of the political turmoil occurring in the country, and which could damage the confidence of foreign investors.
The government said in a statement that Thuong violated party regulations, adding that the matter had a negative impact on public opinion, affecting the reputation of the party, the country and himself personally.
The party’s central committee, the highest decision-making body in Communist Party-controlled Vietnam, approved Thuong’s resignation just about a year after he was inaugurated.
The president holds a largely ceremonial role, but is one of the top four political positions in Vietnam. Phone calls to the president’s office on Wednesday went unanswered.
The committee meeting precedes an extraordinary session of Vietnam’s parliament scheduled for this Thursday, March 21, 2024, when deputies are expected to confirm the party’s decision.
The government statement did not detail Thuong’s abuses, but recent major leadership changes in the one-party state have all been linked to the anti-bribery campaign.
Foreign investors and diplomats have repeatedly blamed the campaign for slowing decision-making in a country already grappling with complex bureaucracy.
Thuong, 53, resigned days after Vietnamese police announced the arrest of the former head of Quang Ngai province in central Vietnam on suspicion of corruption a decade ago, who served when Thuong was party chief there.
He has also been a senior party official in the economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City, which has been rocked by a long-running multibillion-dollar financial scam, and whose trial is currently underway.
Thuong is widely considered to be close to Secretary-General Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam’s most influential figure and a key architect of the anti-corruption campaign.
Last year, when former president Nguyen Xuan Phuc stepped down after his party blamed him for abuses and mistakes committed by officials under his rule, it took a month and a half for lawmakers to name Thuong as his replacement.
The current political crisis may be resolved with the quick election of a new president, but there remains a risk that repeated reshuffles in top leaders will hurt business sentiment in a country that is heavily dependent on foreign investment. (AT Network)
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