Ensuring there are enough ethnic minority deputies in the NA
A target for the 15th National Assembly is to have ethnic minority deputies comprise 18% of the total. In its first tenure, the NA had 34 ethnic minority deputies. That number increased to 56 in the 2nd tenure, 60 in the 3rd tenure, 73 in the 4th tenure, and 86 in the 14th tenure. Since the first tenure, 49 of Vietnam’s 53 ethnic minority groups have had their representatives in the NA.
In the next tenure, the NA aims to have representatives from the 4 ethnic minorities with the fewest people: the O Đu, Rơ Măm, Lự, and Ngái.
 Quang Van Huong, Vice Chairman of the NA’s Council for Ethnic Affairs |
Quang Van Huong, Vice Chairman of the NA’s Council for Ethnic Affairs, said, 'Wanting 18% of the deputies to be ethnic minority when only 15% of the Vietnamese population is ethnic minority shows how much the Party and State care about Vietnam’s ethnic minorities. We can achieve this target if we make thorough preparations and select outstanding candidates.'
Paying attention to quality
Ethnic minority deputies who are capable, devoted, and responsible are needed to realize the Party and State ethnic minority policies. Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Council for Ethnic Minority Affairs Nguyen Lam Thanh said ethnic minority candidates need a favorable environment to demonstrate their capabilities and gain the voters’ trust. Last month, the NA Council for Ethnic Affairs organized a conference on campaigning skills for ethnic minority candidates in the southern, central, and central highlands regions.
 Deputy Minister and Deputy Head of the NA Council for Ethnic Affairs Hoang Thi Hanh |
Deputy Minister and Deputy Head of the National Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Hoang Thi Hanh said that, in addition to fostering NA deputies’ capabilities in different fields, it’s necessary to help them improve their oversight skills.
'It’s important to have deputies who win the community’s support. But it’s even more important to create an environment in which they can demonstrate their capabilities,' said Hanh.
Ethnic minority representation in the NA helps ensure better ethnic minority policies, but can also supply greater momentum to regional and national socio-economic development.