Close-up of the ballot box from the first National Assembly election

The first wooden ballot box for the National Assembly, though very simple, bears the historical mark of the nation, the glorious historical mark of our National Assembly 70 years ago.

Victory from the first National Assembly election

The newly born Democratic Republic of Vietnam had to face countless difficulties and challenges from internal and external enemies, famine, illiteracy, etc. In order to consolidate and build a strong revolutionary government, on September 8, 1945, the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam issued Decree No. 14-SL affirming the urgent need for a general election to elect the National Assembly to stipulate the Constitution and elect an official Government.

On January 5, 1946, one day before the election, President Ho Chi Minh issued a call for the people to vote. With the iron will of a nation determined to protect the independence and freedom that had just been won and with the joy and excitement of long-awaited preparation, all Vietnamese people from the lowlands to the highlands, from the North to the South, from the countryside to the cities, regardless of gender, age or youth, devoted themselves to the great historical day - January 6, 1946, when the whole people went to vote.

In Hanoi, the center of the country, where President Ho Chi Minh ran for election, the people of the capital enthusiastically participated in the General Election despite the sabotage of the enemy. The General Election in Hanoi took place in an exciting atmosphere and was carefully prepared. Hundreds of thousands of voters in the capital went to fulfill their civic duty. In many localities across the country, voters eagerly went to the polls.

Hanoi people vote for the 1st National Assembly, 1946 (Photo)

In other localities across the country, the General Election was also conducted enthusiastically. In the Northern provinces, although they had to deal with extremely sophisticated and blatant sabotage plots of the enemy, the General Election was generally held safely.

Especially in the southern provinces, especially the South, the election took place under the fierce bombardment of the enemy. Right from the end of October 1945, after being reinforced, the French colonialists broke the siege and attacked all the southern provinces. The people of the South went to vote for the National Assembly at this time to express their will for independence and unity, to resolutely resist the French colonialists' invasion, to support the Ho Chi Minh Government, to protect the unity and territorial integrity of the Vietnamese Fatherland.

Therefore, people went to vote in large numbers, despite the bombs and bullets of the French invaders. In many places, people had to shed blood to exercise their freedom and democracy. In Saigon - Cho Lon, the French army occupied the entire city and surrounding areas. The sound of resistance continued to break out in many forms such as destroying the enemy, attacking, burning down enemy warehouses... The general election here took place under the fierce search and terror of the enemy. Although the city's administrative committee had to move to the southwestern suburbs, it still closely followed the instructions of the people in the inner city and the suburbs to conduct the general election...

Although taking place in a very tense domestic situation, the first General Election was successfully held, more than 90% of voters - Vietnamese people aged 18 and over nationwide enthusiastically went to vote for the first National Assembly, exercising their right to be masters. The whole country elected 333 delegates to the first National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, of which 57% of the delegates belonged to different parties, 43% were non-partisan, 87% of the delegates were workers, farmers, revolutionary soldiers, 10 female delegates and 34 delegates of ethnic minorities. President Ho Chi Minh was elected with the highest number of votes of 98.4%.

The victory of the General Election on January 6, 1946 marked the first leap forward in the development of Vietnam's democratic institutions. The General Election is a demonstration of patriotism, a resistance war for national construction, and the building of a new regime. The victory of the General Election marked the maturity of the Vietnamese revolutionary state, opening up the prospect of a new era, a period in which our country has a National Assembly, a unified Government, a progressive Constitution, and a fully legalized government system to represent the Vietnamese people domestically and internationally. The victory of the General Election affirmed the absolute trust of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh in the patriotism of our people.

And the "historic" ballot box

70 years have passed, but we still cannot forget the atmosphere of that special election. Our young people of today's generation return to history through stories told by historical witnesses and precious artifacts associated with a special historical moment.

At the Vietnam National Museum of History, on the display system of the Modern History section, in room number 9, there is an artifact related to the election of the 1st National Assembly. That is the ballot box of the people of Thanh Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province used to vote for the election of the 1st National Assembly deputies, on January 6, 1946.

Ballot box used by people of Thanh Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province to vote for the 1st National Assembly, January 6, 1946.

This is a simple, plain, rectangular wooden box, left unpainted. Ms. Trinh Thi Hoa, an officer of the Public Education Department, National History Museum, said that the box is 37cm long, 20.5cm wide and 22cm high. This special ballot box was collected for the museum from Mr. Hoang Hoc's family in Thanh Long hamlet, Thanh Hoa commune, Quang Binh.

He recounted: that day, the people of Thanh Hoa commune cast their ballots into this ballot box for the first time to elect local National Assembly representatives. During the resistance war in Quang Binh, all other ballot boxes were lost, but he was conscious of keeping this ballot box and preserving it for 10 years, and on July 8, 1956, he presented the ballot box to the Vietnam Revolution Museum, now the National History Museum.

As a conservationist, Ms. Hoa believes that although the wooden box is a simple artifact, it has a very great historical significance. It is an important milestone in the country's history, a milestone of the victory of the first National Assembly election, an election of freedom and independence.

As a locality where people's lives still face many difficulties, conducting elections while having to deal with the plot to sabotage the first General Election from the French colonialists and Vietnamese traitors, the preservation of the historic ballot box of the people of Quang Binh becomes more precious than ever. Because, the people of Quang Binh in general, and the people of the Central region in particular, always have deep faith in the Party, the Government and Uncle Ho.

70 years have passed since the first General Election, up to now there have been 13 times and May 22 will be the 14th time voters have had the honor to exercise the sacred rights and obligations of citizens of a free and independent country. The preserved wooden ballot box is a vivid proof of the first General Election to elect the 1st National Assembly in Quang Binh. The ballot box also reminds us of January 6, 1946, a glorious day in the history of our National Assembly, the first General Election day of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

According to People's Representative