An Giang strengthens disaster prevention and control.

An Giang activates a comprehensive disaster prevention and control plan, ensuring absolute safety for voters and the entire election process for National Assembly and People's Council representatives.

Proactive response to natural disasters during election season.

The Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of An Giang province, Ngo Cong Thuc, has just signed and issued a plan for responding to natural disasters during the preparation and organization of the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and deputies to the People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term in the province.

Thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning, and unseasonal heavy rains are common natural disasters in An Giang, affecting a wide area and potentially impacting polling stations during elections. Photo: Trung Chánh.

According to assessments, the early months of 2026 in An Giang province are expected to present many unfavorable weather conditions such as localized heatwaves, unseasonal rains, thunderstorms, lightning, strong winds, high tides, and the risk of riverbank and coastal erosion. These are all forms of natural disasters that could directly impact voter travel, polling station safety, the preservation of ballot boxes and documents, and the vote counting process.

In this context, An Giang province has developed and activated its own disaster response plan for the preparation and organization of the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and deputies to the People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term. The overarching goal is to absolutely protect the lives and health of voters and personnel on duty, while ensuring that the entire election process takes place continuously, safely, and on schedule under all weather conditions.

High tides are causing flooding, which could directly impact voters' travel plans. Photo: Trung Chánh.

According to risk assessments, the group of natural disasters most likely to cause significant impact are thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning, and unseasonal rain, as their impact could cover all 102 communes, wards, and special zones in the province. In addition, high tides combined with heavy rain could cause localized flooding in low-lying areas and coastal urban areas, or landslides that disrupt transportation routes. These phenomena not only damage houses and public works but also pose safety risks to people participating in outdoor activities, including voting.

Based on those assessments, An Giang requested close monitoring of weather developments before, during, and after election day, maintaining a duty roster and providing timely warnings. Simultaneously, they were instructed to prepare alternative polling station scenarios, organize voting at evacuation sites, or move ballot boxes to safe areas if necessary.

Ensuring the safety of polling stations and the rights of voters.

The focus of the plan is to ensure the safety of each polling station and each voter's ballot. At the local level, the authorities of communes, wards, and special zones are required to review and reinforce all polling areas, ballot box locations, and vote counting areas to ensure they are not affected by rain, strong winds, or flooding. Simultaneously, a plan for organizing mobile voting is being carefully prepared to ensure the right to vote for the elderly, the sick, the disabled, pregnant women, and households isolated by natural disasters.

An Giang province has requested local authorities to review roads affected by landslides and at risk of becoming unsafe, to set up warning signs and carry out temporary repairs to ensure safe and convenient travel for voters to polling stations. Photo: Trung Chánh.

Transportation to polling stations has also been put on standby. When heavy rain, flooding, or landslides disrupt travel, local authorities organize transportation assistance for voters, prioritizing vulnerable groups. Roads and waterways at risk of accidents are inspected, warning signs are posted, and temporary repairs are made to ensure smooth travel.

Regarding communication and electricity, communes, wards, and special zones will coordinate with the electricity and telecommunications sectors to inspect the entire system, prepare contingency plans, and ensure that all directives and reports from the grassroots to the provincial level are transmitted promptly, preventing natural disasters from disrupting the flow of information on election day.

Police, military , militia, and disaster relief task forces are deployed 24/7 to ensure security and order, while also being ready to participate in rescue operations, evacuate people, transport ballot boxes, and protect election materials in case of emergencies.

An Giang province has requested that localities carefully prepare plans to ensure smooth communication and transportation during the election season. Photo: Trung Chánh.

Alongside disaster prevention and control efforts, election preparations are being implemented comprehensively throughout the province. The province has 7 constituencies for National Assembly representatives, 27 constituencies for provincial People's Council representatives, and 774 constituencies for commune-level People's Council representatives. A list of 143 candidates for the provincial People's Council has been finalized to elect 85 representatives. At the commune level, 4,481 people have been nominated to elect 2,449 representatives. For the National Assembly, the province has been allocated 21 representatives, including 10 nominated by the central government and 11 by the local government.

Notably, in the Tho Chau Special Zone, a strategically important island in the southwestern sea more than 200 km from the mainland, where travel depends entirely on sea transport and weather conditions, the National Election Council has agreed to hold early elections on March 8, 2026. Holding the elections seven days earlier than the national election date aims to ensure timely compilation of election results while minimizing risks from rough seas or bad weather.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/an-giang-tang-cuong-phong-chong-thien-tai-d793717.html