Party leader and President Nguyen Phu Trong addresses the national conference on the preparations for the elections of the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils for the 2021-2026 term. (Photo: dangcongsan.vn)

According to a National Assembly Standing Committee Resolution, there are 500 seats in the 15th National Assembly. Deputies should come from all sectors and social strata. The number of deputies representing each local administrative unit is defined by the Law on the Organization of Local Administration according to the population of the administrative unit.

Ensuring democracy

In its Directive dated June 20, 2020, the Politburo urged the entire political system to mobilize resources and set conditions to ensure that the elections take place in a democratic, fair, and legal manner.

The government, the National Assembly Standing Committee, the National Electoral Committee, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, sectors, and localities have completed their plans to hold the elections as scheduled.

On January 14, functional agencies issued election rules and instructions. The National Electoral Council issued Plan 42 specifying 16 timelines for establishing local electoral councils, submitting lists of voting sites, and organizing consultative conferences. After the first consultative conferences, cities and provinces had nominated 1,076 candidates for the National Assembly election and 7,656 candidates for People’s Council elections at all levels.

Lists of voting sites will be announced in the days to come. The list of voters will be made public no later than April 13th, and the lists of candidates will be announced no later than April 28th.

Selecting the most qualified deputies

President Ho Chi Minh said the general election is an opportunity for all free citizens to choose moral and talented people to deal with national affairs. Candidate selection is the key to an election’s success.

Party leader and President Nguyen Phu Trong addressed a national online conference on electoral preparations on January 21, saying “It’s necessary to strictly follow guidelines and policies of the 13th National Party Congress on Party building and rectification, including building a pure and strong National Assembly and People’s Councils. We must elect virtuous, talented people to the National Assembly and People’s Councils, to implement Party resolutions.”

The Ministry of Home Affairs held an online training conference on organizing elections and the Vietnam Fatherland Front issued instructions on organizing consultative conferences.