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On March 17, all members present at the second consultation round to elect delegates to the 14th National Assembly agreed on the list of 197 candidates, including all 19 members of the Politburo.
However, according to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee vice chairman, Tran Thanh Man, after the first consultation round, there were 198 seats allocated to central level delegates. This has raised a debate on how to continue the consultation rounds.
Chairman of the Advisory Council on Ethnicity to the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Lu Van Que said: “So do we consult further or approve all the candidates?”
Chief of the National Assembly’s Committee of Deputies' Affairs, Nguyen Thi Nuong, explained that initially the National Assembly nominated 114 candidates. However, on March 13, the Ministry of Finance’s Director of International Cooperation, Vu Nhu Thang, withdrew. As such, the National Assembly requested to submit additional nominations later.
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The second round of consultation round approved the 197 nominated candidates. Photo by HT. |
Que was also concerned about the candidates’ profiles. He said their resumes focused too much on qualifications and positions and too little on their strengths and weaknesses. As such, it was hard to assess their suitability, he said.
Furthermore, Que raised questions about the candidates’ asset declarations. “They all declare without any confirmation. I think we have to be transparent if we want the public to trust us,” Que said.
In response, Nuong said: “We are also concerned about asset declaration but according to the agency in charge, the Government Inspectorate, the declaration form stipulated under Circular 08 does not require confirmation. Confirmation is only required if the declaration shows any cause for suspicion. So far, we have only checked if the forms are filled out correctly so no problems have arisen.”
The third and final consultation round is scheduled for April 17. Nationwide voting will start on May 22.
