Vietnam works to fit CPV with rule of law

By Pan Jin'e Source:Global Times Published: 2016-4-21 23:48:01

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT


During the recent 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), 72-year-old Nguyen Phu Trong was re-elected as general secretary, while the country's former prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who many expected to take a high position, was pushed from power. The change astonished a number of analysts all over the world.

Not long after that, Vietnam's new president, prime minister and the chairperson of the National Assembly were all elected during the 11th session of the 13th National Assembly from March 21 to April 12. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the new prime minister appointed five deputy prime ministers as well as 21 ministers, forming up a brand new cabinet. However, on the very last day of the assembly, Uong Chu Luu, vice chair of the legislative body announced that the National Assembly is going to convene its first plenum in late July or early August, during which the country will re-elect its president, prime minister and chairperson of the National Assembly.

That said, the newly elected top leaders of Vietnam will face another round of votes at the end of July. And now, when the 13th National Assembly just ended, the nation has already started to warm up for campaigns for the upcoming election. May 22 has been fixed as the election day for deputies to the 14th tenure of the National Assembly, and the People's Councils at all levels for the 2016-21 tenure, according to media reports.

The meeting at the end of July will see the elections for the new leadership of Vietnam. In the meantime, Hanoi is busy preparing for US President Barack Obama's visit in May. The visit is expected to have a significant influence on not only the Hanoi-Washington relationship, but also Vietnam's future diplomacy and development.

The political reforms of the country can explain the constant changes in Vietnam of late.

Since Trong assumed the office as chairman of the National Assembly in 2006, he has greatly promoted the nation's democratic reform, which has created a favorable atmosphere for democracy in Vietnamese society. After he was elected as general secretary in 2011, he put more efforts in the party's reform.

Before the 12th National Congress of the CPV, a lot of preparations have been made for deepening political reforms. For instance, a new constitution was adopted in November 2013. It highlights the protection of human rights and citizens' rights. It also stipulates that the CPV operates in accordance with the constitution and other laws and should be subject to the supervision of the people. Similar measures have been adopted to deepen the country's political reforms, and eventually turn Vietnam into a socialist state ruled by law.

The CPV has never given up its leadership of the country, but pinned the leadership into the constitution and legal procedures so that the party will rule the nation in accordance with law. Take the key positions of Vietnam's new leadership. Candidates for the four top positions must be first elected within the party, but they can only get formal status after being approved by the National Assembly. This process not only complies with the constitution - the party has the right to lead the country and the society, but also mirrors that people's wills are represented by the National Assembly. Vietnam hence built a democratic political framework that the country is led by the CPV, administered by the government and decided by the people.

The double elections of the new Vietnamese leadership are also seen by some as a way to smooth the reception of Obama in May. This implies the importance of the US in Vietnam's political arena, which cannot be underestimated.

All these dazzling changes in Vietnam's political arena show the goal of its political reform - to build a socialist rule-of-law state under the leadership of the CPV. But the country has a long way to go and the path is filled with many uncertainties.

The author is a research fellow of Vietnamese studies at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn Follow us on Twitter @GTopinion



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