New regulations of the Politburo on reviewing, evaluating and classifying cadres

Accordingly, the regulation has new points compared to the old regulation in Regulation 132-QD/TW in 2018 as follows:

1. About the subject of review

- Collective: Clearly separate two types of subjects: (1) Party committees and organizations (2) Leadership and management collectives; at the same time, more clearly stipulate the collective subjects in Article 5. The new Regulation has supplemented and clarified the subjects as "collective leaders of Party advisory agencies, public service units at the central and local levels; standing committees of provincial and district-level Party committees; standing committees of grassroots Party committees of public service units and state-owned enterprises at the central and local levels (including standing committees of grassroots Party committees that are assigned or piloting the assignment of authority at the grassroots level) and standing committees of grassroots Party committees (where there is no standing committee, the executive committee is reviewed).

- Individuals: Additional individuals exempted from review: Party members suspended from party activities; newly admitted party members who have not been admitted for 6 months will also not be subject to annual review.

2. Clearly define the review content for each subject, specifically the review content for leaders and managers.

Regulation 124 has provided more specific regulations on the content of the review for individuals holding leadership and management positions. Specifically, the content of the review of leaders and managers includes:

- Regarding political qualities, ethics, lifestyle; spirit of solidarity and unity within the organization; sense of organization and discipline, responsibility to set an example, implementation of things that party members are not allowed to do; working style and manners. Linking manifestations of degradation, "self-evolution", "self-transformation".

- Implementation of tasks, powers and results of implementation of assigned targets and tasks during the year.

- Implementing the commitment to practice, train and strive every year.

- Issues suggested for review; overcoming limitations and shortcomings concluded by competent authorities and pointed out in the previous review (if any).

- Results of leadership, direction, management and operation; performance of duties and tasks; level of task completion of organizations, agencies and units under management; ability to gather and build internal solidarity.

- Responsible in work; dynamic, innovative, creative, dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility; handle difficult, complicated, sensitive issues in performing tasks.

- Responsibility to set an example for oneself and one's family; the fight against corruption, waste, and negativity; the trust of cadres and party members. In addition to the above contents, Party committees, party organizations, leadership and management collectives, heads, and individuals must review and clarify responsibilities when there are signs of violations; when pressing, complicated issues arise that concern public opinion; when there are petitions, complaints, and denunciations; when there are signs of internal disunity; when there are violations of Party principles and regulations; when there are signs of "group interests", corruption, negativity, waste, degradation, "self-evolution", "self-transformation"; when collectives and individuals under their management are disciplined or prosecuted; when there are signs of stagnation, weakness, and failure to fulfill assigned duties and tasks.

3. Regulations on review locations

The review of the Party Committee, Party organization, and collective leadership and management at any level shall be conducted at that level. There is no longer a regulation on combining the review of the collective, individual members of the Party Executive Committee, Party delegation with the collective leadership and management of the mass organization, agency, or unit.

4. Responsibility and authority

- Add more responsibilities of Party committees, Party organizations, leadership and management collectives and heads: Require additional review contents for collectives and individuals under management when necessary; Direct the development of plans to overcome limitations, weaknesses and shortcomings after review. - Add more responsibilities of individual Party members in Clause 2, Article 8. Specifically, individual Party members need to: Uphold responsibility, be exemplary in review, promote the spirit of self-criticism and criticism; Review honestly, frankly, objectively and substantively.

5. Change the criteria framework for evaluating and classifying Party members

Similar to the review of Party members, to evaluate and classify Party members, Regulation 124 also provides criteria frameworks according to two different subjects. Specifically: General evaluation and classification with the following criteria frameworks:

- Regarding politics, ideology; sense of organization and discipline; moral qualities, lifestyle; maintaining internal solidarity; complying with the organization's assignments; responsibility, style, manners, and working methods;

- Implement the Regulations on what Party members are not allowed to do; the level of implementation of the annual commitment to self-cultivation, training, and striving; the work of fighting against corruption, waste, negativity, manifestations of ideological, moral, and lifestyle degradation, "self-evolution", and "self-transformation";

- Criteria on capacity and prestige; maintaining close and close ties with the masses; responsibility to set an example, exemplary behavior of oneself and family members; results of performing assigned duties and tasks during the year and must be specifically demonstrated through products;

- The results of overcoming limitations, weaknesses and shortcomings have been pointed out. Individuals who are leaders, managers or under the management of the Party Central Committee, the Secretariat or the Politburo are evaluated according to the title criteria in the Politburo's regulations and the decentralization of cadre management. Thus, compared to the old regulations, the Politburo has added many more criteria and standards used to evaluate and classify Party members.

6. Process of evaluating and classifying new Party members

The Party member evaluation and classification scales include 04 levels: excellent, good, average and poor. The competent authority will rely on the evaluation criteria framework, quality classification standards prescribed in each collective, applied to each agency's subject and the opinions of relevant agencies to evaluate and classify appropriately.

The process of evaluating and classifying Party members is stated in Article 11, Regulation 124 and includes the following steps:

Step 1:Party members self-evaluate, classify and receive one of four evaluation levels (excellent, good, average, poor) according to each classification criterion.

Step 2:The advisory body assesses and proposes a quality classification level for each Party member based on the results of self-assessment and classification of the individual and the opinions of relevant agencies and advisory bodies on personnel organization work.

Step 3:The competent authority shall decide on the quality classification. If after the results are available, there are complaints, denunciations, signs of violations of Party and administrative discipline, causing internal disunity, the results of this evaluation and classification will be checked, verified, assessed and reconsidered.

In this step, the new Regulation has reduced many administrative procedures because according to the old regulation, step 3 will include the following tasks:

- The agency in charge of organizing and evaluating the self-assessment results, the results of participation in the assessment, etc., and synthesizing and proposing the quality classification level after coordinating with relevant agencies for consultation.

- Based on that proposal, the new competent authority will consider and decide on the annual quality assessment and classification of each individual. At the same time, the new regulation also clearly states that the direct superior Party Committee will direct the inspection, verification, and review of the assessment and classification results if there are any complaints or denunciations. While the old regulation does not clearly state this provision.

7. Add cases of Party members classified as "Not completing tasks".

Pursuant to Clause 4, Article 12, Regulation 124, the new regulation has added the following cases of individuals classified as "Not completing tasks":

- Violating what party members are not allowed to do;

- Violating the responsibility to set an example, negatively affecting the reputation of oneself and the agency or unit where one works.

- Over 50% of the votes of confidence are low at the confidence vote as prescribed in the evaluation year. In addition, remove the case of "Not completing 100% of important targets and key tasks."

8. New regulations on violations from previous years or violations at old agencies and units

Compared with the old regulations, Clause 4, Article 12 has added the following guiding provisions: - In cases where a collective or individual has shortcomings or violations that occurred in the previous year or at a previous time, but at the time of the assessment and classification year, the competent authority decides to enforce discipline, or the collective or individual is decided by the competent authority to increase the disciplinary measure in the assessment and classification year, the competent superior party organization shall base on the disciplinary measure, content, motive, nature, level, consequences, cause of violation, and specific circumstances to consider re-assessment and re-classification at the time of the shortcomings or violations.

- In case an individual has shortcomings or violations that occurred at the old agency or unit but is disciplined and enforced at the new agency or unit, the results will be included in the assessment and classification results of the old agency or unit (not assigning responsibility to the new agency or unit).

- In case an individual has shortcomings or violations occurring at both the old agency or unit and the new agency or unit, and is disciplined and subject to disciplinary action at the old agency or unit and the new agency or unit, the disciplinary measure will be calculated into the assessment and classification results according to the time of determining the violation at each agency or unit.

Regulation 124-QD/TW replaces Regulation No. 132-QD/TW dated March 8, 2018.