Proposal to reduce the number of deputy chairpersons of the District People's Council by one

On the morning of September 10th, under the chairmanship of Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hien – Deputy Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, the Provincial National Assembly Delegation held a conference to gather feedback on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Government Organization and the Law on Local Government Organization. Photo: Thanh Le

Commenting on the Law on the Organization of Local Government, Deputy Head of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council Tran Dinh Toan proposed reducing the number of People's Council representatives for those who have held positions in administrative agencies (directors of departments, chairmen of districts, cities, and towns).

"I propose increasing the number of full-time People's Council representatives at the provincial level, reducing the number of vice-chairpersons of the district-level People's Councils from two to one; and reducing the number of People's Council representatives at the commune level because practical results show that the role, functions, supervision, and critical feedback of the commune-level People's Councils are not clearly effective," said Mr. Tran Dinh Toan.

Deputy Director of the Department of Justice Pham Thanh Chung gives feedback on supplementing regulations on decentralization and delegation of power. Photo: Thanh Le

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Hien, Vice Chairwoman of the People's Council of Nam Dan District, expressed her view: Based on the local situation, the district level should appoint one Vice Chairman of the People's Committee in charge of the economic sector to increase authority, responsibility, and efficiency; instead of the current situation where there are three Vice Chairmen, with two in charge of the economic sector and one in charge of the socio-cultural sector.

For district-level People's Councils, it is recommended to have one Vice Chairman. In addition, the heads of the committees of the district-level People's Council should be full-time staff to facilitate and increase the effectiveness of the district-level People's Council's operations.

Regarding regulations on decentralization and delegation of power in the Law on Organization of Local Government, Mr. Nguyen Ho Canh - Legal collaborator of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation - stated that: In reality, many violations aimed at circumventing the law and decentralization, such as the authority to approve and award contracts for basic construction projects, student enrollment, recruitment, examination, selection, emulation, commendation, and disciplinary actions, have been and are still quite common.

"Therefore, the Law needs to be amended to overcome the limitations of the current law, focusing on decentralization and delegation of power, coupled with the development and implementation of mechanisms for inspection, supervision, and sanctions," Mr. Canh said.

Nguyen Ho Canh, a legal collaborator of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation Office, contributed his opinions at the conference. Photo: Thanh Le.

At the conference, delegates also suggested maintaining the two full-time vice-chairpersons of the provincial People's Council (if the Chairman of the provincial People's Council holds a dual role); not reducing the number of full-time deputy heads of committees at the provincial and district levels; stipulating that the heads of committees at the district level must be full-time; the number of delegates should be based on population; and the term "extraordinary session" should not be used.

Delegates suggested that the role and activities of the commune-level People's Councils need to be re-evaluated. Many proposed abolishing the commune-level People's Council model because, in reality, these councils lack the authority to enact policies and mechanisms and operate inefficiently…

Regarding the merger of the Offices of the National Assembly Delegation, the Provincial People's Council, and the Provincial People's Committee, the majority of delegates suggested merging the Office of the National Assembly Delegation and the Office of the Provincial People's Council, while the Office of the Provincial People's Committee should operate independently to avoid overlapping functions.

The Provincial People's Council's inspection team conducts an inspection at the Land Use Rights Registration Office of Dien Chau District. (Photo: Thanh Duy)

Appreciating the responsible and insightful contributions of the delegates, Deputy Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation Nguyen Thanh Hien emphasized: This amendment and supplementation of the law follows the Central Committee's resolutions on streamlining the apparatus, while also addressing the limitations of the current law.

The comments and suggestions from the delegates will be compiled by the Provincial National Assembly Delegation Office and submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee.