The current General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam is a ‘special’ candidate for re-election during the ongoing 12^th National Party Congress while the prime minister has rejected nomination for the same position, a military general confirmed on Saturday afternoon.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has been nominated to be the Party boss again, while four other candidates, including incumbent Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, have withdrawn from the election, said Lieutenant General Vo Tien Trung, a member of the 11^th Party Central Committee.

Trong was named the Party chief in 2011.

The five candidates were recommended by the 11^th Party Central Committee, which has 200 official and alternative members, during its 14th plenary meeting, which was organized from January 11 to 13 to prepare personnel and work out a list of candidates for the key leadership posts, namely the General Secretary, State President, Prime Minister, and National Assembly Chairman, which will be presented for voting at the five-yearly congress.  

The delegates of the plenary meeting cast their votes to approve the withdrawal of the four candidates and nominate General Secretary Trong, Lt. Gen. Trung told the media in Hanoi.

The military general added that those delegates who are not members of the 11^th Party Central Committee are allowed to nominate again any of the four who have turned down their earlier nomination for the General Secretary position at the 12^th National Party Congress, and a ballot will be carried out before that person can officially become a candidate.

From left: Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Deputy Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan

The congress will decide on who will be the Party chief while voting next week to choose candidates for the posts of State President, Prime Minister, and National Assembly Chairman for the lawmaking body of Vietnam to elect in mid-2016. 

The 11^th Party Central Committee selected three nominees for these positions at its 14^th meeting, namely Tran Dai Quang, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, respectively, Vu Trong Kim, Vice President and Secretary General of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, affirmed on Sunday.

Quang is the incumbent minister of public security; Phuc is one of the current five deputy prime ministers; and Ngan is the vice chairwoman of the National Assembly of the current term.

The 12^th National Party Congress takes place in Hanoi from January 20 to 28 with the attendance of 1,510 delegates representing 4.5 million Party members across the country.

Congress delegates will elect the new General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam for 2016-20 on January 27, and the result will be announced as the grand event concludes on January 28.

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