Election process and procedures reduced from 70 days to 42 days

Delegates attending the National Assembly meeting, morning of May 12. Photo: QUANG PHUC

The draft law omits all regulations related to district-level People's Councils such as People's Councils; district-level People's Council delegates; district-level People's Committees, organizations in charge of elections, district-level election units, etc.

The draft law adjusts and supplements a number of contents related to the two-level local government model, such as: the authority to decide on determining voting areas; increasing the number of members of the election committee at the commune level; adding representatives of the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at the commune level to attend consultative conferences in provinces and central cities; adding transitional regulations and regulations for places where there is currently no People's Council of the ward.

At the same time, the amendment reduces the time to complete some steps in the election process. In particular, the time from the last day of submitting candidacy documents to the election day is shortened from 70 days according to current regulations to 42 days, but still ensures the total time from the last day of announcing the election day to the election day is 115 days as per current law.

Chairman of the National Assembly Delegation Affairs Committee Nguyen Thanh Hai presented the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Election of National Assembly Deputies and People's Council Deputies on the morning of May 12. Photo: QUANG PHUC

For the period from the election day to the opening day of the first session of the new National Assembly: adjust to reduce the time for some steps such as the deadline for announcing the election results and the list of elected candidates; the time for receiving complaints about the election results and considering and resolving complaints about the election results; the time for conducting additional elections and re-elections. With the proposed shortened adjustments, the earliest opening day of the first session of the new National Assembly could be only 22 days after the election day (the Law on the Organization of the National Assembly currently allows a maximum of 60 days).

The draft also adds the positions of election committee secretary and election board; adds representatives of the National Assembly delegation to participate as members of the election committee in the province, similar to the standing representatives of the People's Council, People's Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee.

In addition, the forms of election campaigning are regulated to be more diverse, such as direct, online, and combined direct and online.

Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for People's Aspirations and Supervision Duong Thanh Binh presented a report examining the draft law, saying that in order to ensure its conformity with the new provisions of the Constitution that are being amended and supplemented, and at the same time serve the early election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term, the committee agrees with the development and promulgation of the law following a simplified order and procedure to submit to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at the 9th session.

Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for People's Aspirations and Supervision Duong Thanh Binh presented a report on the review of the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Election of National Assembly Deputies and People's Council Deputies, on the morning of May 12. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Regarding the amendment of regulations related to the organization of local government according to the two-tier model, the draft law amends the decision on determining voting areas to the People's Committees at the commune level. The majority of opinions agree with this amendment, however, it is recommended to clarify in the law the responsibility of the People's Committees at the provincial level in inspecting, controlling and supervising the determination of voting areas.

The majority of opinions agreed with the adjustment to reduce the time for implementing the election process and procedures to 42 days. However, the committee proposed to consider reducing the time in some steps to ensure feasibility, such as the time from submitting the candidacy dossier to the last day of organizing the second consultative conference to 2 days; the time from the second to the third consultative conference to 17 days; the time for receiving complaints to 3 days; the time for considering and resolving complaints to 7 days...

LAM NGUYEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/quy-trinh-thu-tuc-bau-cu-giam-tu-70-ngay-xuong-con-42-ngay-post794839.html