Vietnam's National Assembly has elected Public Security Minister To Lam as the country's new president.
In a secret ballot, 472 of 473 lawmakers backed his candidacy, state media reported.
Lam pledged to do his best to complete all assigned tasks and pledged his loyalty to the nation, the state and the people.
The 66-year-old politician has served as public security minister since 2016 and joined the Politburo in 2021.
Vietnam's recent major leadership changes follow an anti-corruption campaign led by Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong that led to the ouster of the previous president.
Lam takes over from Vo Van Thuong, who resigned in March after just one year in office due to "misconduct and shortcomings".
Thousands of people have been implicated in the anti-corruption fight, including senior government and business leaders. Since March, it has led to the departure of three of Vietnam's top five leaders - the speaker of parliament, the president and a senior Politburo member - over unspecified "irregularities".
Lam is a key figure in the massive anti-corruption campaign known as the "flaming furnace".
But critics say the campaign has been used to eliminate opponents during political fights, raising concerns about political stability.
On May 20, in another major change, 61-year-old Tran Thanh Manh was elected as the new speaker of the legislature. / BGNES
