Vietnam parliament elects Vo Van Thuong as new state president

FILE PHOTO: Deputy Standing Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Vo Van Thuong is seen at the National Convention Center to attend the Closing Ceremony of the Vietnam's Communist Party 12th Congress in Hanoi January 28, 2016. REUTERS/Na Son Nguyen/Pool

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's National Assembly on Thursday elected Vo Van Thuong as the country's new president, in a reshuffle of the country's top leadership amid a sweeping anti-graft campaign.

In an extraordinary session, lawmakers confirmed Thuong, 52, after the ruling Communist Party nominated him on Wednesday as president, a largely ceremonial role but one of the top four political positions in the Southeast Asian nation.