HCMC – The 15th National Assembly (NA), at its third extraordinary session in Hanoi this afternoon (January 18), agreed to discharge Nguyen Xuan Phuc from the post of State President of Vietnam, reported the local media.
Just four days before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday, Tet, the NA Standing Committee called this extraordinary session to consider releasing Nguyen Xuan Phuc from the post of State President in the 2021-2026 tenure and revoking the status of membership in the 15th NA from him.
NA deputies met in groups to discuss the matter and most of the deputies voted for the discharge of Phuc through a secret ballot.
The half-day extraordinary session concluded late in the afternoon.
A day earlier, the 13th Party Central Committee (PCC) approved a formal request by Nguyen Xuan Phuc to quit as Politburo member, PCC member, State President of Vietnam, and Chairman of the Council for National Defense and Security in the 2021-2026 tenure.
As Phuc tendered his resignation, the PCC called an extraordinary meeting in Hanoi to consider his request pull out of all his Party and State positions.
According to the PCC, in his capacity as prime minister in the 2016-2021 tenure, he produced important results in the leadership, instruction and management of the country’s Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control effort. However, as head of government, he was held politically responsible because multiple officials, including two deputy prime ministers and three ministers, committed serious wrongdoing and violations.
Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam recently quit as deputy prime ministers. Meanwhile, two ministers and many other senior officials have been charged with criminal offenses.
Fully aware of his responsibility before the Party and the public, Phuc tendered his resignation.
He was elected State President on April 5, 2021. Before that, he served as Prime Minister (2016-2021), Deputy PM, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office, Vice Chairman of the Government Office, Deputy Head of the Government Inspectorate, and Chairman of Quang Nam Province.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc stepped down from his seat as President at the age of 69, after nearly two years of holding it. He is the first Vietnamese President to retire in the middle of his term since 1976.
