Published: 11 June 2013 at 13.49
Vietnam’s premier suffered a setback Tuesday after a third of lawmakers in the one-party state voted against him in a first ever confidence vote, seen as a bid to deflect growing public anger at the communist regime.
One hundred and sixty of some 500 lawmakers voiced “low confidence” in Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s premiership, which has been tainted by a string of corruption scandals and worries over his handling of the ailing economy.
“Dung’s results are a disaster,” Vietnam expert Carl Thayer told AFP, adding that the premier “will be chastened by the result but will continue in office”.
The breakdown highlights a lingering factional dispute, he said, with Dung’s main rival President Truong Tan Sang ranked third in terms of “high confidence” votes while the premier was placed 25th.
“The confidence vote reveals that party in-fighting between factions is likely to continue,” Thayer added.
Read more: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/354515/blow-for-vietnam-pm-in-first-ever-confidence-vote
