Vietnam Holds General Election with Overwhelming Majority of Candidates Affiliated with Communist Party

Vietnam Holds Parliamentary Elections with Dominant Communist Party Presence

Voters in Vietnam cast ballots for members of the National Assembly, the country’s top legislative body, on Sunday. The election saw nearly 93% of the 864 parliamentary candidates fielded by the governing party, while 7.5% were independents. According to the national election council, this represents a decrease from 8.5% in 2021.

The five-yearly elections will see over 73 million voters elect 500 members of the National Assembly and representatives for local councils. The Communist Party, which has ruled Vietnam unopposed for decades, holds 97% of the parliamentary seats.

Citizens expressed their hopes for change, with some believing that top leaders would implement major reforms after the election. However, many felt that the outcome of the election would have little impact on their daily lives.

Polling stations are scheduled to close at 7pm local time, with results expected on March 23. The opening plenary session of the National Assembly is set for early April, when lawmakers will approve the state’s top leaders previously nominated by the party.

The Communist Party confirmed its general secretary, To Lam, during its five-yearly congress in January. Lam was also selected as a member of the Politburo, the party’s top decision-making body. The party stated that the election aimed to choose the most prestigious people to continue leading the country towards development.

First-time voter Nguyen Kim Chi cast her ballot for “all the young” candidates, despite knowing that top positions are already set. She expressed hope that her vote would count, even if it did not directly influence the outcome of the election.

Source: Al Jazeera