Vietnamese Parliament Elects New President

The National Assembly elected Vo Van Thuong, a member of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo, as the country’s new president, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue announced on Thursday.

According to Vietnam’s constitution, the president is elected by a direct secret vote of National Assembly delegates.

In an extraordinary session, lawmakers confirmed Thuong after the ruling Communist Party picked him on Wednesday as president, a largely ceremonial role but one of the top four political positions in the Southeast Asian nation.

Thuong was elected with 98.38% of the votes, according to the Parliament's online portal.

"I will be absolutely loyal to the fatherland, the people, and the constitution, striving to fulfill the tasks assigned by the party, the state, and the people," Thuong said in a brief statement to parliament after his election, which was broadcast on Vietnam's state television.

Thuong, 52, is the youngest member of the party's Politburo, the country's top decision-making body; however, he is considered a veteran of the party and had begun his political career at university in Communist youth organizations.