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| Vietnam's Communist party meets to elect new leaders – Q&A | Vietnam's Communist party meets to elect new leaders – Q&A |
| (7 months later) | |
| What’s happening? Vietnam’s Communist party has been holding its 12th congress this week to appoint the country’s new leaders, who will rule for the next five years. | What’s happening? Vietnam’s Communist party has been holding its 12th congress this week to appoint the country’s new leaders, who will rule for the next five years. |
| When will we know who is chosen?By Thursday, although the general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong, is certain to be re-elected to the country’s top post after he secured more than 80% of delegates’ votes. Officials on Wednesday said he had been re-elected. | When will we know who is chosen?By Thursday, although the general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong, is certain to be re-elected to the country’s top post after he secured more than 80% of delegates’ votes. Officials on Wednesday said he had been re-elected. |
| How does it work?As one of the last remaining communist nations, the roughly 93 million people in Vietnam do not elect their leaders. | How does it work?As one of the last remaining communist nations, the roughly 93 million people in Vietnam do not elect their leaders. |
| The Communist party’s right to rule is enshrined in the south-east Asian nation’s constitution – giving it power over the government, military, legislature and judiciary. Every five years, the congress, which has 1,510 delegates, elects the party’s central committee of 180 members and the 16-member all-powerful politburo. | The Communist party’s right to rule is enshrined in the south-east Asian nation’s constitution – giving it power over the government, military, legislature and judiciary. Every five years, the congress, which has 1,510 delegates, elects the party’s central committee of 180 members and the 16-member all-powerful politburo. |
| From the politburo, one member will be chosen as general secretary, the most powerful position in the country. His No 2 is the prime minister, who is also a member of the politburo. The less influential posts of president, which is largely ceremonial, and national assembly chairman will also be chosen. | From the politburo, one member will be chosen as general secretary, the most powerful position in the country. His No 2 is the prime minister, who is also a member of the politburo. The less influential posts of president, which is largely ceremonial, and national assembly chairman will also be chosen. |
| Why aren’t we hearing more about what is going on?The congress is held in secret in the capital, Hanoi. On Thursday, the closing session will be broadcast live on Vietnamese state television. | Why aren’t we hearing more about what is going on?The congress is held in secret in the capital, Hanoi. On Thursday, the closing session will be broadcast live on Vietnamese state television. |
| What’s happening this time?There have been leaks over the past few days, including a power struggle between the current general secretary and 71-year-old Trong and the prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung. | What’s happening this time?There have been leaks over the past few days, including a power struggle between the current general secretary and 71-year-old Trong and the prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung. |
| Trong, who has a reputation for being economically conservative and pro-China, appears to have won against Dung, who is seen as an economic reformer, pro-business and friendly with Washington. Dung is credited with a decade of economic reforms that trebled the GDP per capita and he has also stood up against Beijing in a territorial dispute over islands in the South China Sea. | Trong, who has a reputation for being economically conservative and pro-China, appears to have won against Dung, who is seen as an economic reformer, pro-business and friendly with Washington. Dung is credited with a decade of economic reforms that trebled the GDP per capita and he has also stood up against Beijing in a territorial dispute over islands in the South China Sea. |
| Trong has been nominated as the sole candidate for general secretary for a second term and is certain to win, sidelining Dung, who was reportedly persuaded to withdraw from the contest during behind-the scenes manoeuvring. | Trong has been nominated as the sole candidate for general secretary for a second term and is certain to win, sidelining Dung, who was reportedly persuaded to withdraw from the contest during behind-the scenes manoeuvring. |
| So will Vietnam end economic reforms and align with ChinaAnalysts say it is unlikely there will be an huge change, as the economic reforms Dung started are already approved by the core leadership, including the endorsement by the central committee of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a US-led free trade initiative. | So will Vietnam end economic reforms and align with ChinaAnalysts say it is unlikely there will be an huge change, as the economic reforms Dung started are already approved by the core leadership, including the endorsement by the central committee of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a US-led free trade initiative. |
| The Vietnamese public is angered by and suspicious of Beijing’s overlapping claims to islands in the South China Sea, making it unlikely that Trong will about-turn on that issue, either. “There is broad party consensus on Vietnam’s repositioning further from China, closer to the US, and in the pocket of neither,” David Brown, a Vietnam analyst and retired US diplomat, said. | The Vietnamese public is angered by and suspicious of Beijing’s overlapping claims to islands in the South China Sea, making it unlikely that Trong will about-turn on that issue, either. “There is broad party consensus on Vietnam’s repositioning further from China, closer to the US, and in the pocket of neither,” David Brown, a Vietnam analyst and retired US diplomat, said. |
| He said there had been “careful diplomatic bridge-building in both Hanoi and Washington”, including from Trong, who made the first ever visit by a Communist party chief to the US last year. “Taking Dung out of the mix here will not lead to sudden policy shifts, neither in Vietnam’s external relations, in its commitment to implement the TPP nor in its open door for foreign investors.” | He said there had been “careful diplomatic bridge-building in both Hanoi and Washington”, including from Trong, who made the first ever visit by a Communist party chief to the US last year. “Taking Dung out of the mix here will not lead to sudden policy shifts, neither in Vietnam’s external relations, in its commitment to implement the TPP nor in its open door for foreign investors.” |
| However, he added: “Dung’s government accepted that the internet revolution and globalisation have made a gradual expansion of de facto personal freedoms inevitable. It may take a while before the new leadership reaches a similar conclusion.” | However, he added: “Dung’s government accepted that the internet revolution and globalisation have made a gradual expansion of de facto personal freedoms inevitable. It may take a while before the new leadership reaches a similar conclusion.” |
| Are their any democratic institutions in Vietnam?There is a publicly elected body in Vietnam – the national assembly. It has 500 legislators although most of them are Communist party members. The next assembly will be elected in May, when it formally elects the prime minister, president and cabinet members. This, however, is a rubber-stamp process as there is normally only one candidate for each position, chosen by the congress. | Are their any democratic institutions in Vietnam?There is a publicly elected body in Vietnam – the national assembly. It has 500 legislators although most of them are Communist party members. The next assembly will be elected in May, when it formally elects the prime minister, president and cabinet members. This, however, is a rubber-stamp process as there is normally only one candidate for each position, chosen by the congress. |
| Is Vietnam are truly communist state?No. Like China, the government allows for a semi-free market economy. | Is Vietnam are truly communist state?No. Like China, the government allows for a semi-free market economy. |