Lam, appointed Vietnam’s top leader on Saturday, is a prominent former public security minister who has rapidly risen to prominence following a corruption crackdown that eliminated other potential candidates.
He was appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam following the death of his predecessor, Nguyen Phu Trong, who had been Vietnam’s most influential leader in decades.
Lam stated that “an urgent need to ensure the leadership of the party” was the reason for his promotion in his opening comments as general secretary.
As per observers, Lam, who is 67 years old, has been vying for power in the obscure Ministry of Public Security for a considerable amount of time.
He assumed the mostly ceremonial position of president in May following the resignation of his predecessor as part of a massive anti-graft drive.
Thousands of people have been entangled in the “blazing furnace” anti-graft campaign in the Southeast Asian nation, including leading corporate executives and high-ranking authorities.
Analysts are not surprised by Lam’s promotion, and it is unlikely that he will significantly change the nation’s current policies.
According to Benoit de Treglode, research director at the Institute for Strategic Research at France’s military academy in Paris, it represents a “complete victory” for Lam.
He is an exceptionally strong statesman, backed by a ministry central to the Vietnamese political agenda, he said.
“We will witness a personalization of power around him, which will lead to political stability,” as well as an effort toward “continuity and not rupture.”.
The president of Vietnam plays a primarily ceremonial function that involves visiting with international counterparts, while the secretary general of the party holds the majority of authority inside the party’s leadership structure. The leader of the National Assembly and the prime minister are also members of the leadership.
It was not clear if Lam would stand down or continue in his capacity as president at the same time.
The politburo plays a key role in determining national policy, and experts predict that the next administration won’t stray from the current agenda, both at home and abroad.
According to analysts at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute think tank, Le Hong Hiep and Nguyen Khac Giang, “major changes to Vietnam’s economic and foreign policy should not be expected.”
“Like it was for Trong, the new leader’s top priority will ultimately be upholding party rule,” they stated in an analysis published last month.
The last man standing
Born in 1957 in Hung Yen, then part of communist North Vietnam, Lam joined the Ministry of Public Security after graduating from the police academy.
His entire professional life has been devoted to serving in the covert ministry that oversees the surveillance of activists and the monitoring of opposition within the totalitarian state.
According to rights groups, the government has intensified its onslaught on civil society organizations in recent years.
Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, claims that Lam has outmaneuvered his opponents for power by using the anti-graft drive.
He used anti-corruption probes as a weapon to “systematically take down rivals in the politburo who were eligible to become general secretary,” as he previously told AFP.
“That leaves To Lam as the last man standing,” in addition to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Lam’s associates have taken over important roles, such as taking over as head of the police force.
Public support for the anti-corruption campaign has been demonstrated.
However, experts caution that the unrest can jeopardize the nation’s stable image, which has aided in the development of a very prosperous export-driven manufacturing sector that produces goods for well-known international companies.
Lam’s rise to power introduces uncertainty for the country’s beleaguered activists.
According to dissident journalist Le Anh Hung, “he has proven to be repressive towards the democratic movement,” as reported by AFP.