Vietnam Power Shift: PM and President Lose Clout in Central Committee Shake-up

• Vietnam's 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) saw Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President Luong Cuong excluded from the new 200-member Central Committee.
• The Central Committee is a powerful institution that sets policy direction and elects the Politburo, making the exclusions a significant re-ordering of political authority.
• The reshuffle is seen as a move towards a more centralized leadership model under General Secretary To Lam, who has consolidated authority since August 2024.
• An aggressive anti-corruption campaign is reshaping the party's internal balance, promoting loyalists and sidelining perceived independent power centers.
• The changes reinforce the primacy of ideological loyalty over technocratic leadership, potentially impacting policy continuity and economic liberalization.

Why It Matters: Vietnam's leadership is centralizing power, sidelining top state officials, and prioritizing party loyalty over technocracy.