tag

Vietnam Communist Party boss To Lam was elected president by the National Assembly Tuesday, capping his bid to centralise authority in a nation where senior cadres have traditionally governed collectively.In less than two years as party chief, the 68-year-old has swept aside rivals and transformed the country through an aggressive reform drive — literally redrawing the map as he combined provinces and slashed bureaucracy.Lam has set an ambitious target of 10% annual growth for the Southeast Asian manufacturing hub, and muscled the party behind his vision for development-oriented reform.After securing another term as the party's general secretary in January, Lam has now taken over the number two position in Vietnamese politics — unifying leadership of the party and state as President Xi Jinping did in neighbouring China.The move has "effectively turned him into Vietnam's 'supreme leader'", said Le Hong Hiep, senior fellow at the Vietnam Studies Programme at Singapore's ISEAS — Yusof Ishak Institute.It has "transitioned the country's leadership from a consensus-based collective model to a strongman leadership style", he told AFP.Tran Thanh Man, chairman of the National Assembly, said 100% of deputies who were present approved the resolution electing Lam president for the 2026-2031 term.In a speech after being sworn in, Lam called his new dual role a "huge honour" and a "sacred and noble duty".The parliament, which serves mainly to ratify party decisions, also elected Lam ally Le Minh Hung as prime minister Tuesday.Elevated to party chief after general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's death in 2024, Lam has shocked the country with the pace of his changes.He has eliminated whole layers of government, abolishing eight ministries or agencies and cutting nearly 150,000 jobs from the state payroll, while pushing massive infrastructure projects.Lam is now promoting a "new growth model" that speeds up decision-making and unleashes the private sector to achieve double-digit annual growth for the next five years."The odds of his reform programme succeeding have increased because he has further scope to push it forward", said former US ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink, reflecting on Lam's "unprecedented power and influence".Vietnam is both a repressive one-party state and a regional economic bright spot, where the Communist Party has sought to deliver rapid growth to bolster its legitimacy.The country of 100mn people proved surprisingly resilient in the face of 20% tariffs imposed by US leader Donald Trump last year, clocking eight % growth in 2025, among the fastest in Asia.But the balancing act between the US — its main export market — and its largest supplier China remains perilous, especially as the Trump administration seeks to prevent what it considers the illegal transshipment of Chinese goods via Vietnam.The conflict in the Middle East has also created headwinds. Fuel prices have surged since the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, and like many Southeast Asian countries Vietnam faces possible shortages."There's a risk this energy crisis could jeopardise their growth goals," said Kritenbrink, adding he expects disruptions to continue for at least six months to a year even if the fighting stops."As the crisis drags on, the implications become more severe," he said.Lam referenced "numerous challenges" to "world order and international law" in a speech to the National Assembly on Monday."The nation that proactively implements strategic reforms, promptly reforms its institutions, unleashes creativity, mobilises the resources of its entire population, and seizes new opportunities will rise and develop," he said.Vietnam's ruling party tolerates little dissent and regularly jails critics, more than 160 of whom are behind bars, according to Human Rights Watch.But unlike in present-day China or the Kim dynasty's North Korea, political power in Vietnam had not previously been concentrated in one paramount leader.Lam is the first person to secure the top two jobs through the party's normal leadership selection processes, rather than stepping in following the death of an officeholder. 

Vietnam announced Saturday that 18 non-Communist Party members were elected to its 500-seat parliament, calling the result "a meaningful expansion of democracy".The National Assembly is the country's top legislative body, but serves mainly to ratify decisions made by the ruling Communist Party.Voters cast their ballots on Sunday and official results Saturday showed only 18 elected deputies were not members of the Communist Party, up from 14 in the last election five years ago.Vice-Chair of the Committee for Deputy Affairs Ta Thi Yen called the increase "modest", adding "it marks a meaningful expansion of democracy and representation within the National Assembly".The government said more than 99% of 76mn voters had cast their ballots — a typically high official turnout.The southeast Asian nation of 100mn is both an economic success story, boasting eight % growth last year, and a repressive one-party state that often jails its critics.Among the new parliament's first tasks when it sits next month will be to confirm senior leaders already selected by the party at its twice-a-decade congress in January.Top leader To Lam was reaffirmed as general secretary, but he is widely expected to become president as well — a post that requires approval by lawmakers. 

The Speaker of the National Assembly of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mussa Azzan Zungu, met with HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Tanzania, Fahad Rashid Al Muraikhi.During the meeting, the two sides discussed aspects of bilateral cooperation.

His Excellency the Shura Council Speaker, Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanim, held separate meetings in Islamabad Monday with Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan Yusuf Raza Gilani. HE the Shura Council Speaker is visiting Pakistan at the head of the Council's delegation participating in the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, which begins today. The meetings focused on strengthening parliamentary co-operation between the Shura Council and the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan, with both sides discussing ways to advance shared interests. Topics on the conference agenda were also discussed.The conference centres on the theme of "Peace, Security, and Development," underscoring the role of parliaments in supporting global efforts to build a more stable and just international order. It serves as a platform for aligning perspectives, promoting dialogue and mediation in conflict resolution, and fostering co-operation in water, energy, and food security. Climate change, sustainable development, and interfaith and intercultural harmony are also key areas of focus.

HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim conferred with the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye Professor Numan Kurtulmus, on the sidelines of the Global Parliamentary Conference on Counter-Terrorism and the Prevention of Violent Extremism, hosted by Istanbul. During the meeting, the Speaker of the Turkish National Assembly expressed his condemnation of the Israeli attack on the State of Qatar on September 9, considering it a form of state terrorism. He emphasized that targeting a safe civilian site in Doha represents a flagrant violation of international law and diplomatic norms. For his part, HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim emphasised the importance of activating the working mechanisms of the parliamentary group in support of Palestine, in light of current developments. He called for more countries from South America, Asia, and Europe to join this group, contributing to unifying parliamentary positions on the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and Israeli threats to the region. He also highlighted that a just and lasting solution is based on implementing the two-state solution and guaranteeing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. HE the Speaker of the Shura Council appreciated the distinguished fraternal relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye, stressing the Shura Council's commitment to continuing coordination and joint action to serve just causes and strengthen Arab and Islamic solidarity. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the existing parliamentary cooperation between the Shura Council and the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye, and ways to enhance them to serve common interests. They also discussed prospects for parliamentary coordination in regional and international forums, particularly in the areas of counter-terrorism and supporting humanitarian efforts to enhance international peace and security. They stressed the importance of supporting the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights, and unifying Arab and Islamic parliamentary positions in the face of Israeli aggression. HE Al Ghanim met with Head of Special Projects and Innovation Branch of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Guadalupe Megre. The meeting reviewed areas of cooperation between the Shura Council and the UNOCT, particularly with regard to enhancing parliamentary participation in counter-terrorism and preventing violent extremism efforts, and joint coordination in implementing programs and initiatives organized by the Office for Parliamentary Participation in Doha. The two sides also discussed ways to develop international parliamentary partnerships in capacity building and exchange of expertise, which would contribute to unifying global efforts to combat terrorism and support international peace and security.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has stepped down just weeks after taking office. The French Presidency said in a statement on Monday that President Emmanuel Macron has accepted Lecornu's resignation. Lecornu, appointed on September 9, faced strong criticism from opposition parties and right-wing politicians after unveiling part of his new Cabinet on Sunday evening. He was due to present his government's general policy statement before the National Assembly on Tuesday. The two previous governments, led by Michel Barnier and Francois Bayrou, fell after parliamentary votes of no confidence over their proposed austerity budgets. France has been experiencing a prolonged political crisis since President Macron called early legislative elections last year in an effort to consolidate his authority. However, the move resulted in a deeply divided parliament, split among three rival blocs.