Vietnam's Communist Party chief Lam seeks presidency in China-style expanded power mandate

Highlights:

• Lam seeks to combine party chief and state presidency roles, sources say
• Military negotiates to maintain broad autonomy, sources say
• New delegates could decide Lam's presidency bid

Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam is seeking to combine his party role with the state presidency, officials said, in a move that would align Vietnam's political structure more closely to China's where President Xi Jinping heads the party and state.

Next week some 1,600 delegates will gather in Hanoi to kick off a week-long Communist Party congress, held every five years to select new leaders and set policy goals for the single-party state.

Lam, 68, bid for both top positions at a party meeting in December, seeking initial party approval ahead of the congress, three people briefed by the delegates and another three officials familiar with the matter told Reuters.

While the sources said the party meeting backed Lam to remain party chief, the three people briefed by delegates gave differing accounts on the question of the presidency, a largely ceremonial role but one currently held by the military.

Two said Lam won support for his bid, while the third said the conclusion was unclear. In any case, the final decision rests with delegates who will be elected at the congress.

The party's secretariat did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The combination of the two top jobs for the next five years would mark a significant departure from Vietnam's traditional power-sharing model. Only in exceptional periods after the death of incumbents have the positions been merged, including in 2024 when Lam held both positions for about three months.

Power-sharing talks

Should Lam succeed, the military, a powerful faction within the party, would give up the presidency in exchange for maintaining a broad autonomy over the promotion of its senior officers, two sources said.

One official said military leaders are negotiating "safeguards" to limit Lam's authority. The defence ministry was not immediately available for comment.

In possible signs of early concessions, some controversial economic policies pursued under Lam's first term were revised or faced unexpected hurdles ahead of the congress, including on credit growth and a high-speed railway.

Supporters of combining the two roles argue all other communist countries - China, North Korea, Cuba and Laos - vest both positions in a single leader, and note the move would bolster Lam's economic reform agenda and strengthen his standing in meetings with foreign leaders.

Sceptics see the change as emboldening a leader seen as a risk-taker who has already vastly expanded the powers of the security apparatus.

The merger would be "the natural outcome of streamlining Vietnam's political structure," said Carl Thayer, a senior expert on Vietnam at the Australian Defence Force Academy, noting Lam has already effectively taken over some of the president's powers with frequent overseas trips last year.

Starting 19 January, the week-long congress will elect 200 members of the new central committee, with a large number of newcomers expected to join, raising questions about whether they will confirm decisions made by the roughly 140 delegates who voted in December.

The central committee will elect the party chief and the politburo. Lam in July said the new politburo will have 17-19 members, but the size will depend on delegates' votes on a pre-arranged shortlist.

The politburo will then nominate the president, prime minister and speaker of the parliament, whose appointments lawmakers must confirm.