Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has resigned, state media reported on Tuesday after days of rumors of his impending impeachment as part of a sweeping anti-corruption purge.
Mr Phuc “submitted his resignation from the positions he held, quit his job and retired,” state agency VNA said.
This sudden departure is very unusual in Vietnam, where political change is usually carefully orchestrated by the communist regime striving to give the appearance of stability.
According to state media, the Communist Party believed that Mr Phuc bore responsibility for misdeeds committed by members of his government during his tenure as prime minister between 2016 and 2021, before assuming the presidency.
According to the VNA, Mr Phuc “assumed his political responsibilities as leader after violations and misconduct by several senior officials, including two deputy prime ministers and three ministers, leading to very serious consequences”.
His departure follows the dismissal by the National Assembly in January of two deputy prime ministers, Pham Binh Minh, who was also foreign minister, and Vu Duc Dam, the key official in the fight against COVID-19 in the country.
Bribes for PCR tests
At least a hundred senior officials and business leaders have been arrested in recent months over a COVID test distribution scandal.
One manufacturer, Viet A Technologies, is accused of bribing health officials so its tests can be sold to hospitals and pandemic control centers at inflated prices.
Among those arrested over the scandal are Health Minister Ngoc Anh and Hanoi Mayor Nguyen Thanh Long in June 2022.
A total of 37 other people, mainly diplomats and police officers, were also arrested as part of a further investigation into a repatriation campaign at the height of the pandemic.
After closing its borders in early 2020 to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Vietnam has organized nearly 800 charter flights to repatriate citizens from 60 countries.
However, travelers have faced complicated procedures while paying exorbitant air fares and quarantine fees to return to Vietnam.
Vietnam is ruled by the Communist Party. The authoritarian regime is officially headed by the party’s general secretary, the president and the prime minister, and important decisions are made by the politburo, which currently has 16 members.
Mr Phuc, 68, was elevated to the largely honorary office of President in 2021 after receiving praise for what was widely regarded as effective management of the pandemic.
Mr Phuc’s resignation could also be linked to infighting within the party, according to Le Hong Hiep, a researcher at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
“It’s mainly about corruption investigations. But we cannot rule out that his political rivals also wanted to fire him for political reasons,” the analyst told AFP.
Party Secretary-General Nguyen Phu Trong, architect of Vietnam’s biggest anti-corruption campaign ever, is set to resign in 2026.
“Some politicians will try to hit the jackpot,” Le Hong Hiep said, implying that Mr Phuc’s political rivals wanted to get rid of him “to clear the way for another candidate for the top job”.