New Vietnam president sworn in after 99.8% vote

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HANOI, Oct 23, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Vietnam lawmakers on Tuesday elected as
president Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, the only candidate on the
ballot, making him the most powerful man in the country where consensus
leadership has traditionally kept strongman rule in check.

Trong was ushered into his new role as head-of-state with 99.8 percent of
the vote from Vietnam’s rubber stamp parliament members a month after the
former president died from a prolonged illness.

Though the president’s role is seen as largely ceremonial, 74-year-old
Trong will maintain his position as party head — the first person to hold
both roles since revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh in the late 1960s.

His new position was cemented in a tightly orchestrated swearing-in
ceremony on Tuesday after an overwhelming vote from 477 lawmakers, with only
one vote against, according to the government’s website.

“I, president of Vietnam vow to be completely loyal to the nation, people
and constitution,” Trong said at the ceremony, speaking beneath a large bust
of Ho Chi Minh.

“This is a very huge honour, while at the same time, a very heavy
responsibility for me,” he added, acknowledging his advanced age.

His election comes as no surprise after the Communist Party’s Central
Committee put his name forward as the only contender last month following the
death of Tran Dai Quang.

His dual role in two of the so-called “four-pillar” top leadership
positions allows Trong to yield a huge amount of power in the government
whose inner workings are often shielded from the public.

The two other “pillars” are the prime minister and National Assembly chair.

Analysts say Trong is likely to forge ahead with an anti-corruption
campaign that he has spearheaded since his re-election as party chief in
2016, which has seen dozens of top officials, executives and bankers put
behind bars.

His time in office has also coincided with a crackdown on dissidents, with
more than 55 jailed this year alone, according to an AFP tally, that rights
groups say shows no sign of abating under Trong.

The US ambassador to Vietnam congratulated Trong on the post Tuesday,
celebrating cosying ties between the former war foes who are both seeking to
counter China’s rising military and economic might.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with President Trong on
further strengthening and expanding the US-Vietnam Comprehensive
Partnership,” ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink said in a statement.

In addition to running the powerful Communist Party, Trong will now be in
charge of welcoming foreign delegates and travelling abroad as the public
face of the administration.

The white-haired longtime party member has a carefully guarded reputation
as a committed apparatchik, and is also a member of the powerful politburo in
the one-party state.