Luong Cuong elected as Vietnam State President

Luong Cuong, a permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, was elected by the parliament on Monday as Vietnam’s State President for the term 2021-2026.

A resolution on the appointment was adoped by the National Assembly, the country’s highest legislative body, with all votes of 440 participating delegates in favor.

General Luong Cuong, 67, from Phu Tho province, is a Party Central Committee member for the 11th, 12th and 13th tenures, Secretary of the Party Central Committee for the 12th and 13th terms, a Politburo member for the 13th tenure, and a member of the 15th National Assembly.

He enrolled in the army in 1975, became deputy head of the General Department of Politics under the Vietnam People's Army in 2011, and then head of the department in 2016.

In January 2019, Cuong was appointed general by then Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong. He was the 15th person to hold the highest military rank in the Vietnam People's Army.

In May this year, the Politburo, Vietnam's highest decision-making body, assigned General Luong Cuong, a Politburo member and head of the General Department of Politics under the Vietnam People's Army, to hold the position of permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, replacing Truong Thi Mai who had been relieved of the position earlier.

According to the 2013 Constitution, State President is head of the State, representing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in foreign and domestic affairs. The State President is elected by the National Assembly, the country's highest legislative body.

The Constitution stipulates that the President has a number of duties and powers such as promulgating the Constitution, laws, and ordinances; proposing to the National Assembly to elect or dismiss the Vice President and Prime Minister; appointing or dismissing Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers and other Government members based on National Assembly resolutions.

The President also has the authority to propose the National Assembly elect or dismiss the Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court and chief of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, and to grant special amnesty.

The President commands the People's Armed Forces and holds the position of Chairman of the National Defense and Security Council; decide to confer, promote, demote or strip military ranks of generals, rear admirals, vice admirals, and naval admirals; appoint or dismiss the Chief of General Staff and Chairman of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People’s Army.