Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong resigns from office

Vietnam's President Vo Van Thuong has submitted his resignation, ending his one-year term in office.

The announcement was made after the Vietnamese Communist Party accepted his resignation, citing "shortcomings" that had allegedly affected public opinion and damaged the party's and the State's prestige.

Vietnam's top decision-making body, the Central Party Committee, approved President Thuong's resignation after it was determined that he had broken party norms, according to a government statement issued on Wednesday.

The president is one of the top four political personalities in the nation, albeit playing primarily ceremonial roles, therefore this departure represents a big shift in South-East Asian politics.

The resignation was made in the midst of a government-led anti-corruption drive known as the "blazing furnace" and political unrest.

Critics conjecture that the effort, which aims to eradicate corruption, might also be used as a political ploy by the ruling Communist Party.

President Thuong resigned in response to the arrest of a former provincial leader on charges of corruption that go back ten years, during which time Thuong was the party boss in the province of Quang Ngai in central Vietnam. Generally seen as a supporter of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Thuong's exit continues the string of changes in the Vietnamese government's leadership.