HANOI ¨C Vietnam¡¯s parliament elected police minister To Lam as the state president on Wednesday, in a move analysts see as a ¡°stepping stone¡± for Lam to bid later for the position of chief of the ruling Communist Party, the country¡¯s top job.
Lam¡¯s election followed the appointment on Monday by Vietnam¡¯s National Assembly of its new chairman, former deputy Tran Thanh Man, possibly bringing to a temporary end two-months of heightened political turbulence that saw the exit of three of Vietnam¡¯s top five leaders over unspecified wrongdoings.
In line with normal procedures in the tightly controlled one-party state, lawmakers voted unanimously on a resolution that approved Lam¡¯s election after a secret ballot about him, the only candidate for the job. That followed his nomination by the Communist Party last week.
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