Two-tiered local government: Organizational reform, breakthroughs in decentralization and delegation of power.
With 1,065 tasks decentralized and delegated, the two-tiered (provincial and commune) local government model is expected to create a breakthrough in local development and serve the people more quickly.
On the afternoon of June 14th, at the National Conference on Training on the Organization and Operation of Party Organizations, Government, Fatherland Front, and Political Organizations at the (new) Commune Level, Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Tra - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Minister of Home Affairs, and Deputy Head of the Government's Steering Committee on the Reorganization of Administrative Units at all Levels and the Organization of Local Governments at Two Levels - presented an overview report on the functions, tasks, and powers of local governments at two levels; and general issues regarding decentralization, delegation of power, and delineation of authority for local governments at two levels.
Fulfilling the mission of the three levels of local government.
According to the Minister, after nearly eight decades of implementing the three-tiered local government model (province, district, and commune), it has fulfilled its glorious responsibilities and mission. The establishment of a two-tiered local government model (province and commune) is not only an inevitable trend in the context of accelerating digital transformation, urbanization, and sustainable development, but also aims to realize the modern governance philosophy: "Local authorities decide, local authorities act, and local authorities take responsibility."
The two-tiered government system has been redesigned to maximize the potential and advantages of the territory; expand the development space; and restructure administrative units to suit practical conditions.
The law that underpins these changes is the Law on Organization of Local Government (amended), which will be passed by the National Assembly at its 9th session, 15th term.
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra stated: The new aspect of this amendment to the Law is based on the principle of clear demarcation: “Clear subject - clear task - clear responsibility - clear scope - clear effectiveness; no overlapping functions, no overlapping authority; consistent with natural conditions, population size, and socio-economic characteristics; linking reasonable decentralization, delegation, and authorization with autonomy and self-responsibility; and having a mechanism for flexible monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment.”
Decentralization and delegation of authority1,065 tasksfor local authorities
The Minister of Home Affairs clearly analyzed the functions, tasks, and powers of the two-tiered local government, highlighting the 1,065 tasks that the Government, the Prime Minister, Ministers, and equivalent agencies have delegated to local governments; clearly demonstrating the trend of strengthening the initiative, autonomy, and responsibility of grassroots governments in state management and socio-economic development.
In particular, the Provincial People's Council has undergone many changes in its position and role. It no longer merely serves as a state power organ at the local level as before, but is gradually becoming a "designer of institutions" at the local level, playing a central role in coordinating policies and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the locality within the framework of the law and the new decentralized management system.
Similarly, the Provincial People's Committee has also been elevated in its position, role, and primary functions; from a purely administrative agency, it has become a unified operational center for law enforcement, proactively managing and regulating sustainable development at the local level.
"This is a necessary adaptation of the administrative system in the context of a two-tiered local government structure and towards an efficient, effective, flexible, and people-serving local governance system," Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra stated.
The core responsibilities of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee are clearly defined in the draft law, including: Organizing and directing the implementation of laws; uniformly managing the administrative apparatus from the province to the commune level; strongly and proactively decentralizing and delegating authority; making decisions on behalf of the collective People's Committee when necessary; and proactively handling emergency situations.
The functions, duties, and powers of local governments at the commune level have also been redesigned. Accordingly, the commune People's Council has 27 duties and powers, an increase of 19 duties and powers compared to the current law; while the ward People's Council has 29 duties, an increase of 22 duties compared to the current law.
Some new issues include: the commune-level People's Council affirming its central role in state power at the grassroots level; expanding its authority to decide on local policies and development; receiving tasks and powers delegated by the provincial-level People's Council; establishing more substantive oversight and control of power; for the first time establishing specialized committees under the commune-level People's Council; and expanding the scope of modern oversight to include digitalization, public services, and human rights.
The People's Committee at the commune level is the executive body of the People's Council at the commune level, responsible for organizing the implementation of the People's Council's resolutions, ensuring the people's right to self-governance; it is the local state administrative agency, representing state policies to organize the implementation of the Constitution, laws, policies, and documents from higher levels, and carrying out state management tasks at the commune level.