Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong has stepped after just one year in the job, according to a state media announcement on Wednesday. This is as the communist country is mounting a sweeping anti-graft purge.
The Vietnam News Agency had stated that Thuong was guilty of “violations and shortcomings” and his resignation had been acknowledged by the party’s central committee.
The 53-year-old’s dramatic fall comes as Vietnam experiences major political upheaval, with his predecessor also forced out in an anti-corruption drive that has seen a lot of ministers sacked and top business leaders stand trial for fraud.
The VNA had said that Thuong had flouted unspecified “regulations” and also failed to set an appropriate example as head of state.
Thuong had became president on March 2, 2023 after president Nguyen Xuan Phuc stepped down and tendered his resignation in a sudden move unusual for Vietnam, where political changes have long been cautiously orchestrated, with an emphasis on stability.
Before Phuc, there has only been one other Communist Party president that had ever stepped down, and it had been for health reasons.
While the president is the head of state, real power lies with the party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who is viewed to be the architect behind the anti-corruption drive, a popular popular move among the Vietnamese citizens.
