Prepare well for the Party branch congress for the 2025-2027 term.

Systematic and urgent

Hamlet 8, Nghi Lam commune (Nghi Loc district) has a total of over 270 households and nearly 900 inhabitants. The Party branch has 28 members and the Party committee has 3 members. Implementing the resolution for the 2022-2025 term, the Party Committee and Party branch of Hamlet 8 have focused on leadership, using the exemplary conduct of cadres and Party members, especially those in the Party committee, to spread the movement and contribute to the Nghi Lam commune Party committee's achievement of advanced new rural standards and the hamlet's recognition as a typical cultural village at the provincial level.

Comrade Nguyen Van Hoa, Secretary of the Party Branch of Hamlet 8, Nghi Lam Commune, stated: In the coming time, the Party Committee and Party Branch of the hamlet are determined to continue leading the hamlet's development to a higher level, becoming a "smart hamlet" along with Nghi Lam Commune achieving the model new rural standard. To achieve this goal, the Party Committee and Party Branch have determined that the preparation for the Party Branch Congress for the 2025-2027 term must be carried out meticulously, systematically, and in accordance with regulations; ensuring an accurate assessment of the Party Branch's activities during the 2022-2025 term, setting key directions for the 2025-2027 term, clearly reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of the Party Committee during the 2022-2025 term to draw lessons for the new term; and simultaneously building a team of Party Committee members who are capable, enthusiastic, reputable, and capable of leading and directing the completion of the resolutions of the Party Branch Congress for the 2025-2027 term.

At this point, preparations for the Party Branch Congress of Hamlet 8, Nghi Lam Commune, are being carried out with urgency. Regarding personnel matters, the Party Committee has already planned and discussed the candidates for the first time; now, further additions are being made, and preparations are underway for a second discussion within the Party Branch to finalize the list of 4 members (2 re-elected and 2 new members) to elect 3 members to the Party Committee, leaving 1 member as a surplus.

In the Dong Xuan hamlet Party branch, Thanh Tien commune (Thanh Chuong district), preparations for the Party branch congress have been completed. The Party branch secretary, Comrade Tran Thi Hue, stated: The higher-level Party committee requires hamlet leaders to be Party members; therefore, the hamlet is currently implementing steps to elect the hamlet leader first, then nominate the hamlet leader for election to the Party branch committee, and elect the Deputy Secretary of the Party branch for the 2025-2027 term. Regarding the Party committee personnel, among the 20 Party members currently participating in activities (the Party branch has 10 members exempted from activities); besides the 3 members of the Party branch committee for the 2022-2025 term who are healthy, capable, enthusiastic, and responsible enough to handle hamlet and community affairs, the remaining Party members are all very responsible and ready to undertake assigned tasks. In particular, over the past years, the Party branch has focused on developing Party members and building a successor team. Currently, all heads of mass organizations in the hamlet are Party members. This is advantageous for the Party branch's personnel work for the 2025-2027 term.

Comrade Nguyen Trong Bay, Secretary of the Thanh Tien Commune Party Committee (Thanh Chuong District), stated: The Thanh Tien Commune Party Committee was selected by the Thanh Chuong District Party Committee to lead the pilot congress for the 2025-2030 term. Therefore, the commune Party Committee is focusing on preparing for the Party branch congress, ensuring adherence to principles, promoting democracy and the wisdom of Party members; preparing the content, organizing the collection of opinions and contributions to the political report widely, and leveraging the wisdom of all Party members. Personnel matters for the Party branch committee, secretary, and deputy secretary ensure compliance with Party standards, numbers, and regulations; focusing on identifying and nominating new individuals with virtue, talent, high responsibility, and dedication to the movement; building a new Party branch committee for the new term must ensure quality, continuity, development, and a reasonable number and structure to provide comprehensive leadership. To ensure that the branch party congresses become a widespread political activity, the Thanh Tien Commune Party Committee has initiated a competitive emulation movement in each branch; each branch registers at least one project or task, mobilizing all cadres and people to participate.

Also selected as a model Party committee for the congress, the Party Committee of Truong Thi Ward (Vinh City) stated, according to Comrade Hoang Ngoc Cu, Secretary of the Ward Party Committee: The Ward Party Committee clearly defines that the block units are the "extended arm" of the Party Committee, the government, and the political system of the ward; they are where the Party and State's guidelines, policies, and directives are implemented and concretized; and they are also the closest to the people, building a close relationship between the Party and the people through the Party branches, Party cells, and individual cadres and Party members in the block. Furthermore, for the ward to be strong and develop, each block must be strong and develop to achieve overall results. Therefore, the Ward Party Committee organized a conference and issued very specific directives and guidelines for the Party branch congresses for the 2025-2027 term; assigning each Standing Committee member, Executive Committee member, and Party Committee member to be responsible for, direct, and guide each Party cell.

The Party Secretary of Truong Thi Ward emphasized: “The majority of Party committee members in the block-level Party branches are elderly; the source for renewal is passive; there are few people with the capacity and qualifications to meet the requirements of the tasks in the trend of accelerating digital transformation and strengthening activities in the electronic environment; and currently, there are no concurrent positions in the blocks and hamlets. These are the difficulties that Party committees and branches face in selecting and building personnel. However, through the decisive involvement of the ward Party committee; focusing on doing a good job of ideological work, encouraging, motivating, sharing and supporting the daily work of ward officials and civil servants with the block-level Party committees and leadership boards, we have created confidence among Party members to readily accept and complete their tasks.”

To date, the ward has completed the election of block leaders in all 16 blocks, with 100% being Party members. Preparations for the pilot branch congresses have been completed by the ward Party committee, from documents to personnel and congress procedures. Preparations are also underway for the remaining branches, ensuring they are ready to hold their congresses as soon as the higher-level committee issues its directive.

Focus on resolving difficulties and obstacles.

According to regulations, the Party branch congress consists of four main items: summarizing the implementation of the Party branch congress resolution for the 2022-2025 term and determining the direction, objectives, tasks, and solutions for the 2025-2027 term; conducting self-criticism and criticism of the Party branch committee during the term (where there is a Party branch committee); providing feedback on the draft documents of the 14th National Party Congress and the documents of the Party congress at the next higher level; electing the Party branch committee, secretary, and deputy secretary for the 2025-2027 term, and electing delegates to attend the grassroots Party congress for the 2025-2030 term.

To date, several grassroots Party committees have been selected as pilot congresses, particularly the Vinh City Party Committee, which was chosen by the Provincial Party Standing Committee as a pilot congress in conjunction with the simultaneous merger of district and commune-level administrative units. Therefore, the progress of the Party branch congresses has been accelerated. However, according to Comrade Nguyen Tri An, Deputy Head of the Vinh City Party Committee's Organization Department, there is currently no draft document for the 14th National Party Congress for the Party branch congresses to provide feedback on during the congress process, and they are awaiting guidance from higher levels.

Regarding this matter, at the working session between the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the advisory and support agencies of the Provincial Party Committee on October 23, 2024, Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu - Deputy Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee - directed the Party branches to hold their congresses according to the plan and to organize a conference to provide feedback on the congress documents afterward.

Another issue that many organizations are concerned about is the difficulty in finding personnel in some Party branches who possess the necessary qualities of competence, prestige, enthusiasm, responsibility, and especially who can meet the increasingly demanding requirements of the job in the era of accelerating the implementation of digital government, digital economy, digital society, and building "smart villages" in the construction of model new rural areas.

Comrade Nguyen Trong Anh, Head of the Thanh Chuong District Party Committee's Organization Department, pointed out the reality in the locality: some Party branches have a high number of Party members, some branches have young Party members but are unwilling to shoulder responsibility; some branches have more capable and prestigious individuals than Party members, while the policy states that village and hamlet leaders must be Party members. In Thanh Chuong district, out of 234 rural Party branches, about 20% fall into the above categories. To address this problem, from the beginning of 2024, the Thanh Chuong District Party Committee's Organization Department advised the District Party Committee's Standing Committee to issue a directive urging the development of Party members, paying attention to the personnel for Party branch committees and directing the election of village and hamlet leaders who are Party members. For areas where there is no shortage of personnel with sufficient capacity, prestige, and ability to fulfill tasks in the new term, the Party committee must report to the District Party Committee through the District Party Committee's Organization Department for specific case reviews...

In addition to the above issues, feedback from some localities also reflects concerns regarding the funding for the Party branch congresses, which has not yet been included in the provincial state budget for 2024. Meanwhile, there are no budget reserves at any level, causing difficulties for local authorities. This is also an issue that local authorities have requested the competent authorities to address.