The ballot and the mandate of history.

As stated by National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, January 6, 1946, is considered a glorious milestone that ushered in a new era of development for the Vietnamese nation. The victory of the General Election firmly affirmed the people's right to self-determination, enabling them to organize their own state, which was the first democratic state in Southeast Asia.

The first National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was established after the first general election in the country on January 6, 1946. (Archival photo)

From that general election, the first National Assembly was elected. It was also from this that the 1946 Constitution was adopted, laying the first legal foundation for a democratic state, where human rights and civil rights were affirmed in writing. It can be said that if the Declaration of Independence of September 2, 1945, gave birth to the Vietnamese nation on the world map, then the general election of January 6, 1946, bestowed upon that nation the political foundation of democracy and self-determination.

Looking back over the past 80 years, the significance of January 6, 1946, becomes even clearer in its historical depth, as the country has gone through war, division, reunification, and the process of reform. It is precisely in this tumultuous journey that the value of a state chosen and empowered by the people has been increasingly affirmed for its sustainability and legitimacy. The first general election laid the foundation for the core principle of the modern Vietnamese state, in which power is exercised for the people and stems from the people's consensus. This value continues to illuminate the path of the country's development today.

The world is operating in a state of prolonged instability, with geopolitical conflicts, strategic competition, crises of confidence, and profound fractures of the old order. Domestically, development practices are placing increasingly high demands: Growth must not only be rapid but also sustainable; governance must not only be effective but also transparent; and stability must be built on a foundation of social trust. In this context, The Party's resolutions consistently emphasize the continued building of the National Assembly into a truly supreme representative body of the people, representing the will and aspirations of the people, and the highest organ of state power; promoting democracy, the rule of law, modernity, professionalism, science , openness, transparency, effectiveness, and efficiency in its organization and operation, ensuring that the National Assembly effectively performs its legislative function, decides on important national issues, and exercises supreme oversight over the activities of the State.

And in fact, for the past 80 years, the Vietnamese National Assembly has always been the embodiment of national unity, the highest representative body of the people, the highest state power organ of the country, always closely connected and responsible to the voters, fulfilling its role of representing the will and aspirations of the people.

Therefore, preserving and deepening traditions, along with "taking a step ahead in institutional reform, bravely deciding on difficult issues, new tasks, and unprecedented fields; paving the way for innovation, for rapid and sustainable national development" is a way to contribute to realizing the goal of Vietnam becoming a developed, powerful, prosperous, and happy nation by 2045, as stated by General Secretary To Lam at the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the first general election to elect the Vietnamese National Assembly.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/la-phieu-va-menh-lenh-cua-lich-su-343513.html