The decision to quit was voluntary but comes after a long anti-corruption campaign. Last month, two deputy ministers were removed from the Politburo. The centralisation of power by the country's leader, Nguyen Phu Trong, continues.
Hanoi (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The President of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc, number two in the Communist Party, has voluntarily resigned and is no longer a member of Politburo.
This follows a corruption scandal that saw two deputy ministers removed from the top body in late December.
Vietnam's Communist Party, now increasingly linked to the general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong, the country's de facto leader, accused Nguyen Xuan Phuc, 68, of "violations and wrongdoings" while he was prime minister from 2016 to 2021, before becoming president, a largely ceremonial position.
“As he was well aware of his responsibilities to the Party and the people, Phuc filed a request to resign from his positions and retire,” the government said in a statement. However, to become effective, the resignation must be approved by Vietnam’s National Assembly.
As in previous cases of senior officials removed from the Politburo, the latter held an extraordinary meeting.
Political power in Vietnam rests on four "pillars": the party secretary, the president, the prime minister and the speaker of the National Assembly.
According to many analysts, Phuc was destined to become party secretary, but recently the rumour mill was in full swing that he was going to resign.
One of the consequences of Nguyen Phu Trong’s “blazing furnace” anti-corruption drive is greater centralisation of power.
In 2022 alone, 539 party members were prosecuted or disciplined for “deliberate wrongdoings”. Police investigated 453 cases of corruption over the past year, a 50 per cent increase over 2021.