Hanoi (VNA) - The elections of deputies to the 15thNational Assembly and the People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 tenure on May 23 is an opportunity for the Vietnamese people toexpress their voices over such important issues as the nation’s leadership andthe strengthening of local governments’ apparatus, said Professor Carl Thayer,an expert from Australia’s New South Wales University.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency, Thayer said theVietnamese legislature’s activities have undergone important changes during the country's process to build and strengthen its socialist rule-of-law state, especiallysince the adoption of the Constitution in 1992 (amended in 2001), the 2013 Constitutionand the 2015 Law on Election.
According to the expert, this year's elections saw more than69 million constituents eligible to vote, and all of the candidates were thoroughlyevaluated to ensure qualification. The list of qualified candidates alsoexhibits diversity in composition with a high proportion of women and ethnicminorities, at 45 percent and 21 percent, respectively.
Evaluating the preparation for this important event, Thayer saidthat Vietnam has made extraordinary efforts in the context of COVID-19 outbreaks.
The National Election Council has adopted an official listof 866 qualified candidates, he noted, citing information from local press assaying that 84,767 election groups have been set up to run polling stations onthe election day./.