The National Assembly of Vietnam on Thursday elected and swore in Nguyen Xuan Phuc to serve as prime minister for the next five years.

The 61-year old politician, who had served as Deputy Prime Minister since 2011, won 90 per cent of the vote in the National Assembly.

The process was a formality as the Communist Party, which rules Vietnam’s single-party state, had already agreed on Phuc as the only nominee at its National Congress in January.

Phuc is the third element of the triumvirate chosen by the party to lead for the next five years, which includes Nguyen Phu Trong, the incumbent secretary general, and Tran Dai Quang, who was elected president last week.

After taking his oath Thursday, Phuc promised to improve the business environment, fight corruption, and protect national sovereignty.

The new government will officially run the country from Saturday once the National Assembly approves Phuc’s new cabinet.

[Source:- DPA]