Vietnam Parliament approves president's resignation in anti-graft drive
Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has resigned as part of an anti-corruption drive.
Vietnam's rubber stamp national assembly on Wednesday approved the resignation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, a day after he dramatically stepped down as part of an anti-corruption drive.
In an extraordinary meeting that was closed to international media, more than 93 percent of national assembly members voted to approve the resignation, State media said.
Authoritarian Vietnam is run by the Communist Party and officially led by the general secretary -- the most powerful position in the party -- the president, and prime minister.
Key decisions are made by the politburo, which now numbers 16.
Only one other Communist Party president has ever stepped down, and that was for health reasons.
On Tuesday the Communist Party ruled Phuc, 68, was responsible for wrongdoing by senior ministers under him during his 2016-2021 stint as prime minister, before he became president.
Two deputy prime ministers -- Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam -- were sacked this month in an anti-corruption purge that has led to the arrest of dozens of officials, with many of the graft allegations relating to deals done as part of Vietnam's Covid pandemic response.
