WHO COULD BE VO VAN THUONG’S SUCCESSOR?
Vietnam’s parliament will meet on Thursday in an extraordinary session to accept Thuong’s resignation, confirming a Reuters report from Sunday.
It is expected that it will appoint an acting president until the party decides the next candidate.
The most likely option is Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, who had to step in last year to temporarily replace the suddenly dismissed former president Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
Then it took the party a month and a half to pick Thuong, who at the time of his election had been widely seen as a close ally to the party chief Trong.
Leading candidates for the permanent position include the powerful minister of public security, To Lam, and party veteran Truong Thi Mai, according to multiple analysts.
However, the former may be interested in the far more powerful position of party chief, a role that is up for grabs in 2026 when Trong’s third mandate ends, but that the ageing leader may make available earlier.Â
Mai’s job had been seen at risk amid the latest leadership reshuffle, but no decision was announced about her on Wednesday. That could make her a lame duck – which in Vietnam has often been the key to accessing powerful positions.
Source: CNA
