Vietnam removes third top leader in two months, reshuffles cadres
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Ms Thuong Thi Mai, 66, was accused by the party of "violations and shortcomings" committed when she held another leadership position between 2016 and 2021.
PHOTO: AFP
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HANOI – Vietnam’s fifth-ranking leader has quit her posts, the ruling Communist Party said on May 16, the third top official to exit in two months, as the ruling party carried out a major reshuffle of its ranks.
The changes at the top of the one-party state follow weeks of political upheaval during which the Chairman of Parliament and the country’s President both quit over unspecified accusations of wrongdoing.
The moves come amid an escalating anti-corruption campaign which has raised questions about political infighting in the investment-reliant country, once seen as a beacon of stability.
Ms Thuong Thi Mai, 66, was accused by the party of “violations and shortcomings” committed when she held another leadership position between 2016 and 2021, according to a statement issued on the portal of the party.
She was the only woman in the powerful politburo, Vietnam’s elite decision-making body. She was also a permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat and had been touted as a possible candidate for state president.
With her departure, only two of the top five leaders are still in their jobs, including ageing party chief Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Former president Vo Van Thuong quit in March,
Foreign investors, on which the South-east Asian manufacturing nation relies, have repeatedly voiced concerns about the administrative paralysis caused by the frequent leadership changes and ever-expanding investigations prompted by the “blazing furnace” anti-bribery drive.
During a meeting on May 16 of its central committee, the party elected four new members of the politburo, which has 18 statutory members. With Ms Mai’s resignation, it has been left with only 12.
It also said it would propose to the national assembly new candidates for House Speaker and president, without naming them.
Parliament is expected to vote on those in a regular session starting on May 20.
The new members of the politburo include Mr Nguyen Trong Nghia, 62, who heads a 10,000-strong cyber-security unit and is the party’s propaganda chief, and former central bank governor Le Minh Hung, 53.
The party also elected Ms Bui Thi Minh Hoai, 59, as a new member of the politburo, the only woman in the group.
She had succeeded Ms Mai at the head of the mass mobilisation committee, an advisory body on public security, religion and minorities.
The fourth new member of the politburo is Mr Do Van Chien, 62, who is the president of the Fatherland Front, a body that is involved in social policies.
It is not clear when the party will elect the other two missing members of the politburo. REUTERS
