Vietnam ruling party boss reelected, cements hold on power

Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang (front row left), Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (front row third left), and Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (front row third right) pose for a group photo with the Army generals after the election for the new Central Committee in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Jan. 26. AP

HANOI, Vietnam—Officials say Vietnam’s Communist Party has reelected its chief, Nguyen Phu Trong, for a second term, an expected outcome that sees the conservative ideologue cementing his hold over power.

The officials say the party’s congress on Wednesday also elected Trong to a 19-member Politburo, the all-powerful body that handles the day to day affairs of the government and the party.

Also elected to the Politburo are Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is expected to become the prime minister, and Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang, who will be the country’s new president.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.