Vietnam's ruling party elects President Lam new party chief

ANKARA

Vietnam’s Communist Party elected the country's President To Lam to be the new ruling party chief, local media said on Saturday.

The Communist Party's central committee unanimously elected Lam the party’s new general secretary, state media Vietnam News reported.

On July 18, Lam 67, temporarily took the post a day before the death of former chief Nguyen Phu Trong.

Speaking to a news conference after being elected to the top job, Lam said it is both an honor and a glorious responsibility to be elected to the position.

Paying homage to Trong, Lam called him an exceptional leader.

"In my capacity as general secretary, I will work with the Central Committee of the party, the Politburo, and the Secretariat to strongly uphold and further the glorious traditions and valuable experiences of our party, to fully promote the spirit of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, national pride," Lam said.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid