Continuing the spirit of innovation and development.

The session is taking place in a special context.

The first session of the 18th term of the Nghe An Provincial People's Council, 2021-2026, took place at a very special time. Voters and people nationwide had just participated in the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels with many successes. In Nghe An, more than 2 million voters throughout the province directly participated in the election and elected 13 deputies to the 15th National Assembly, 83 deputies to the 18th Provincial People's Council, 736 deputies to the district-level People's Councils, and 10,890 deputies to the commune-level People's Councils. With a voter turnout rate of 98.93%, this is considered a significant achievement.election with the highest voter turnoutin Nghe An compared to recent terms.

Overview of the first session of the 18th Provincial People's Council, term 2021-2026. Photo: Thanh Duy

The first session of the 18th term of the Nghe An Provincial People's Council took place in the context of 2021 being the first year of implementing the Resolutions of the Party Congress at all levels. Alongside many positive developments in socio-economic fields, the province was also significantly impacted by the particularly complex developments of the Covid-19 pandemic. After a year and a half without any positive cases of SARS-CoV-2, from June 13th to July 4th, 2021, the province recorded 123 cases of coronavirus infection. However, thanks to the wise, scientific, and creative leadership and guidance of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee, with the advice of the Covid-19 Prevention and Control Steering Committee, Nghe An has been and isgood disease controlThis helps to limit the number of infections, thereby contributing to protecting the peaceful lives of the people and maintaining the production, business, and investment activities of organizations and units.

Given the pivotal importance of this session, in his opening speech, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Son - Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, 17th term, 2016-2021 - emphasized that, looking back at the past term, building upon the achievements and experiences of the previous term, the 17th Provincial People's Council has made significant innovations in content and methods of operation and has achieved very important progress in performing its functions of supervision and decision-making on important local issues, contributing to socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security, building the political system, meeting aspirations, consolidating trust, and creating enthusiasm and consensus among the people.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Son, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, 17th term (2016-2021), urged the provincial People's Council delegates to promote democracy and a sense of responsibility, contributing to the success of the first session, marking a good start to a new term of the Provincial People's Council.

Promoting the spirit of democracy and creating new opportunities for development.

The Provincial People's Council, acting as a local state power body representing the will, aspirations, and right to self-governance of the people, held this session where 82 out of 83 attending members conducted the election to elect the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Provincial People's Council for the 18th term, 2021-2026.

Delegates vote to approve the Resolution confirming the election results of the leaders of the Provincial People's Council Committees, 18th term. (Photo: Thanh Duy)

In a spirit of democracy, objectivity, and impartiality,The delegates elected Mr. Thai Thanh Quy.- Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, holds the position of Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, 18th term, 2021-2026; elected Mr. Nguyen Nam Dinh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Provincial Agencies Bloc; Mr. Nguyen Nhu Khoi - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of Nghe An Radio and Television Station, to the positions of Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Council, 18th term, 2021-2026.

Subsequently, the Provincial People's Council passed resolutions on the establishment of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council, 18th term, 2021-2026; and proceeded to elect the Heads and Deputy Heads of the Committees: Legal Affairs, Economy - Budget, Culture - Society, and Ethnic Affairs of the Provincial People's Council. Mr. Pham Thanh Chung - Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Justice - was elected as the full-time Head of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council, 18th term, 2021-2026; Mr. Tran Dinh Toan - full-time Deputy Head of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council, 17th term, 2016-2021 - was re-elected as the Deputy Head of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council, 18th term, 2021-2026.

Mr. Cao Tien Trung, Deputy Head of the Economic and Budget Committee of the 17th Provincial People's Council, was elected as the Head of the Economic and Budget Committee of the 18th Provincial People's Council; Mr. Hoang Lan, Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the 17th Provincial People's Council, was elected as the Deputy Head of the Economic and Budget Committee of the 18th Provincial People's Council.

Mr. Chu Duc Thai - Member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union, and Chairman of the Vietnam Youth Union of Nghe An province - was elected to the position of Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the Nghe An Provincial People's Council, 18th term; Ms. Luc Thi Lien - Deputy Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council, 17th term - was elected to the position of Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council, 18th term.

Ms. Lo Thi Kim Ngan, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the 17th term of the Provincial People's Council, was re-elected as Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the 18th term of the Provincial People's Council. The Provincial People's Council has passed a Resolution stipulating the number of members of the Committees of the Nghe An Provincial People's Council, 18th term, 2021-2026. Specifically, the Committees of Legal Affairs, Economy - Budget, Culture - Society and Ethnic Affairs each have 7 members.

Mr. Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Chairman of the 18th term of the Nghe An Provincial People's Council - presents flowers to congratulate the two newly appointed Vice Chairmen of the 18th term of the Provincial People's Council. Photo: Thanh Duy

The election of the key leadership of the new Provincial People's Council truly demonstrates the consistent spirit of democracy, objectivity, and impartiality of the delegates, aiming for the robust development of Nghe An province and meeting the demands of voters and the people of the entire province. In this new term, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council and the delegates are expected to create breakthroughs in their role of deciding on important local issues.

Speaking on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council, 18th term, 2021-2026, Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Thai Thanh Quy affirmed: “With my responsibilities, I will work with the collective of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council to uphold the spirit of unity and responsibility, inherit and promote the achievements of previous terms, and continue to innovate and improve the quality and effectiveness of the Provincial People's Council's activities. In particular, we will focus on effectively performing the supervisory function, enhancing the capacity and further promoting the tasks and powers of the Provincial People's Council in deciding on important issues of the province, especially prioritizing the promulgation of specific mechanisms and policies that have a driving force in attracting investment and exploiting the province's potential and strengths; improving the quality and capacity of the Provincial People's Council representatives; strengthening close ties with voters, thereby continuing to affirm the role and position of the Provincial People's Council as a local state power organ, representing the will, aspirations, and right to self-governance of the people.” "The people, truly the bridge between the Party, the State, and the people, deserve the trust of the voters and the people of the province..."

Mr. Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council, and Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, presented flowers to congratulate the Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee for the 2021-2026 term. Photo: Thanh Duy

Along with electing the Standing Committee and key personnel of the Provincial People's Council for the new term, at this session, the delegates also elected the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and the Vice-Chairmen and members of the Provincial People's Committee.

Accordingly,Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung- The Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee was re-elected by the Provincial People's Council delegates to continue serving as Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for the 2021-2026 term.

Mr. Le Hong Vinh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Hoang Nghia Hieu - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Le Ngoc Hoa - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Mr. Bui Dinh Long - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee were re-elected by delegates to continue serving as Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committee for the 2021-2026 term.

Over the past period, despite facing many difficulties due to the impact of the global and domestic economies, especially the serious effects of the Covid-19 pandemic from the beginning of 2020 to the present, the leadership, direction, and management of the Provincial People's Committee have remained stable. Nghe An province achieved its 2020 targets with an average gross regional product (GRDP) growth rate of 4.45%; budget revenue reached over 15,990 billion VND… These indicators have shown positive signs of the economy in the context of the general difficulties of the whole country.first 6 months of the yearIn 2021, the province's Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth rate was estimated at 7.58%, exceeding the projected 7.61%. Nghe An ranked second in the North Central region and 14th out of 63 provinces and centrally-governed cities in terms of GRDP growth rate in the first six months of the year. According to statistics, by the end of June 2021, the province's total budget revenue reached 10,000 billion VND.

Production and business lines in industrial zones of Nghe An province. (Illustrative photo: PV)

This result objectively and accurately reflects the efforts of the entire political system of the province, in which the Provincial People's Committee plays a crucial role through the effective implementation of policies and resolutions assigned and supervised by the Provincial People's Council.

Demonstrating the determination of the Provincial People's Committee in the new phase, speaking at the session, Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - emphasized that in the coming time, the members of the Provincial People's Committee are committed to dedicating themselves wholeheartedly and using all their abilities and experience with a proactive and learning attitude, building upon the achievements of previous terms to work together in unity and solidarity, innovation, creativity, daring to think, daring to act, and daring to take responsibility; strictly adhering to the leadership of the Provincial Party Committee, the supervision of the Provincial People's Council, and constantly engaging with and listening to the opinions of the people.

Adhering closely to the province's development orientation in accordance with Resolution No. 26 and Announcement No. 55 of the Politburo, focusing on implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, the Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress, with a focus on 18 out of 21 tasks in the Provincial Party Committee's Action Program and the Provincial People's Committee's Plan to implement the Provincial Party Committee's Action Program, with a focus on developing 3 key economic zones and 3 breakthrough areas.

Large cargo ships load and unload goods at Vissai - Nghi Thiet port. (Photo: Nguyen Sach)

Focus on leading, directing, and managing the implementation to complete the 21 socio-economic targets approved by the Provincial People's Council in the Resolution on the province's 5-year socio-economic development plan for 2021-2025.Promoting administrative reformThis includes significantly improving the investment and business environment; supporting businesses and investors; shifting the mindset from "explanation and justification" to "solutions and problem-solving," while emphasizing the accountability of leaders at all levels and sectors; building e-government and smart cities; training, developing, and attracting human resources, especially high-quality human resources, to meet the requirements of the province's rapid and sustainable development, and improving the income and living standards of the people.

Continue to implement COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the province in a timely, decisive, and coordinated manner, relying on the people to effectively achieve the "dual goal" of both preventing and controlling the pandemic and developing the economy. Pay attention to social welfare, improving the income and living standards of the people. Ensure national defense and security, and social order and safety.

Subsequently, the provincial People's Council delegates elected 22 members of the Provincial People's Committee for the 2021-2026 term; and elected 32 judges for the Provincial People's Court. The Provincial People's Council also heard a report from the Nghe An Provincial Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front summarizing the opinions and recommendations of voters regarding the election of provincial People's Council delegates. Before concluding the session, the Provincial People's Council passed a Resolution on organizing the 2021 regular session of the 18th Nghe An Provincial People's Council, term 2021-2026. Accordingly, the mid-year session will be held in August 2021, and the year-end session will be held in December 2021.

Cua Hoi Bridge - a key project inaugurated on March 15, 2021. Photo: Le Thang