New parliament ratifies President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's election

By Hoang Thuy July 25, 2021 | 07:57 pm PT

Nguyen Xuan Phuc takes oath as President of Vietnam in Hanoi, July 26, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

The newly elected National Assembly (NA) Monday ratified its predecessor’s election of Nguyen Xuan Phuc as the country's president for the 2021-2026 term.

Phuc, 67, won 96.79 percent of the votes cast in the house of 483 in what was formally described as a "reelection."

The president is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

In April Phuc had received more than 97 percent of the votes to become the 11th president of Vietnam after his predecessor and Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong stepped down.

The new NA was formed following general elections on May 23.

A native of the central Quang Nam Province, Phuc has a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Between 1997 and 2006 he was chairman of the province, deputy inspector-general of the Government Inspectorate and chairman of the Government Office.

He became deputy prime minister in 2011 and prime minister in 2016.

He is a member of the Party Central Committee and Politburo.

The NA will elect or ratify 50 leadership positions including of the house itself, the government, the Supreme People's Court, the top prosecutor’s office, and the State Audit Office.

It will also review the country’s social-economic situation and public spending and make decisions on two national programs on rural development and poverty alleviation.