HANOI: Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party re-elected its 76-year-old chief Nguyen Phu Trong for a rare third five-year term on Sunday, as the Southeast Asian country battled its biggest coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began.

Trong, who emerged on top in a power struggle at the last congress in 2016 and has spearheaded a “blazing furnace” crackdown on corruption in the last five years, was granted an exception to party rules that say people over the age of 65 should retire, cementing his position as one of the country’s strongest and longest-serving leaders for decades.

“Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong was elected to be the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, term XIII,” the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Trong’s re-election as party general secretary came at a five-yearly party congress in Hanoi, where 1,600 party delegates from across Vietnam are concluding eight days of meetings, mostly behind closed doors, to pick a new leadership team, aiming to bolster Vietnam’s ongoing economic success - and the legitimacy of the party’s rule.

Vietnam has no paramount ruler and is officially led by four “pillars”: the chief of its Communist Party, the most powerful post; a president; a prime minister; and the National Assembly chair.

While ascent to the highest levels of Vietnamese politics is governed by party regulations, in reality the highly secretive process revolves around building consensus and vying for control of the decision-making Politburo.

That means exceptions to rules can be granted - especially if consensus on the top candidates cannot be reached.

China’s President and ruling Communist Party chief Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Trong on Sunday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Trong’s re-selection by members of the ruling Communist Party came as Vietnam battles a new COVID-19 outbreak that has infected at least 221 people and spread to at least eight cities and provinces in the country, including the southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City and the capital, Hanoi.