On the afternoon of October 21, General Luong Cuong officially became State President. This is the 4th State President in just over the first 3 years of the 2021-2026 term.
However, it is not certain that he will be the last State President in this term. There are still many factions in the palace fighting for power, sometimes, the position of State President becomes a “bullet shield” for someone.
Cuong used to be head of the army’s General Department of Politics, and was one of the 2 strongest factions in the army. However, in 2021, he lost to General Phan Van Giang in the race for the position of Defense Minister although at that time, Cuong was supported by then General Secretary cum State President Nguyen Phu Trong.
Unlike Nguyen Xuan Phuc or Vo Van Thuong, who are not supported by any strong faction, Cuong is considered to have many relationships with generals in the army, especially generals who grew up from the General Department of Politics. Currently, in the Politburo, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Nghia, Head of the Central Committee’s Commission on Propaganda and Education, is the person who worked closely with Cuong in the General Department of Politics.
Thus, Cuong is not a State President without real power, like Phuc and Thuong, but he has certain relationships. However, that is still not enough for him to become a powerful State President, like Lam, or Trong in the 2018-2021 period. If he wants to be stable, Cuong needs to form an alliance with many other factions in the army, especially General Giang’s faction. On his own, he still cannot be a rival to Lam, and is not strong enough to balance power with the former police chief.
After the mysterious death of Tran Dai Quang, the position of State President has never been “calm and peaceful.” Trong has not been in this position for a year, then he almost died in Kien Giang. By the 2021-2026 term, no one can sit in the President Palace until the end of the term. It is worth mentioning that the constant change of personnel in the position during this term has made people call it a “haunted position.”
So, the question is, will Cuong be able to sit comfortably in his position to break the “curse” for this position?
In fact, although ranked 2nd in the “Four Pillars”, the position of State President is only ceremonial, without real power. This is considered the position with the weakest ability to withstand storms in politics. Without “military power” in hand, it is difficult to hold on to this position.
In terms of foreign affairs, Cuong has “fulfilled his duty” as a servant to Xi Jinping. However, in terms of domestic affairs, it seems that he has not yet connected well with Defense Minister Giang, to form a new power group, strong enough to balance the power group of Lam.
It is not certain that the position of State President will not be coveted. In any case, this position also ensures one leg in the four highest positions of the Party. Although it does not have real power, it has a significant voice in major issues of the Party and the country.
Currently, General Luong Tam Quang is a member of the Politburo and the Minister of Public Security. At the 14th Congress, it is very likely that Quang will compete for the position of State President with Cuong to realize the ambition of “Hung Yenizing” the Four Pillars.
Vietnamese politics has undergone strong changes in recent times. In the current “Four Pillars”, there are 3 pillars from the Police and the Army. It seems that in the coming time, the leadership battles will be life-and-death battles between generals, including Lam, Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Only Tran Thanh Man, Chairman of the National Assembly, is outside the armed forces. In terms of strength, Man is considered the weakest, compared to the other 3 officials.
In the future, there may be fierce battles between generals in the Four Pillars!
Hoang Phuc – Thoibao.de
