Vietnam on 25th july named a longtime rival of PM Nguyen Tan Dung as its new president, a largely symbolic post in the communist nation.
Truong Tan Sang, 62, was confirmed for the job by a vote of the one-party National Assembly, after he was formally nominated as the sole candidate over the weekend.
"He has been voted president," with more than 97 percent of 496 votes, said an official from the Assembly's press centre, asking not to be named.
Truong Tan Sang, from the southern province of Long An, replaces retiring President Nguyen Minh Triet. The presidential role is mostly ceremonial, while the prime minister runs the country's day-to-day operations.
After giving his acceptance speech, Truong Tan Sang nominated current Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, 61, for a second term, expected to be announced Tuesday. Sang was said to have challenged Dung for the premiership, but he lost out when the leaders were picked in January.
Vietnam is a one-party system that does not tolerate any challenge to its rule, and publicly calling for a multiparty system can result in long prison sentences.
The appointment comes a day after Vietnamese protesters demonstrated against China for the eighth straight week as tensions between the communist neighbors continue to simmer over disputed territory claimed by both countries in the South China Sea.
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