HANOI šC Vietnam¡¯s lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously elected Communist Party Secretary-General To Lam as the country¡¯s state president for the next five years, making him the most powerful Vietnamese leader in decades.
The widely anticipated move marks a break from Vietnam¡¯s traditional collective leadership system, consolidating authority in one figure in ways analysts say could tilt the one-party state toward ?greater authoritarianism, ?while also enabling faster decision-making, similar to its neighbor China.
The parliament endorsed the Communist Party¡¯s nomination, which officials said was finalized in a meeting at the end of March. The former head of public security now has a double mandate to rule the country for the next five years, after he secured a second term as general secretary in January.
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