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 added 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 grassroots levels) and standing committees of grassroots Party committees (where there is no standing committee, the executive committee shall be 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 more specific provisions 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 manner. Linking manifestations of degradation, "self-evolution", "self-transformation".

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

- Implementation of annual commitment to self-cultivation, training and striving.

- 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 spirit, dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility; handle difficult, complex, 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 that concern public opinion arise; 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 location

The place of review of the Party Committee, Party organization, and collective leadership and management at which level shall conduct self-criticism and criticism at that level. There is no longer a regulation on combining the review of collectives and individuals of Party executive committees and Party delegations with the collective leadership and management of mass organizations, agencies, and units.

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 substantially.

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:

- On politics, ideology; sense of organization and discipline; moral qualities, lifestyle; maintaining internal solidarity; complying with the organization's assignment; 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 political ideology, morality, lifestyle degradation, "self-evolution", "self-transformation";

- Criteria on capacity, prestige; maintaining close and close ties with the masses; responsibility to set an example, exemplary behavior of oneself and those with family relationships; 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 scale consists of 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 for each Party member based on the results of self-assessment, individual classification 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 participating in the assessment... and synthesizing and proposing the quality classification level after coordinating with relevant agencies for consultation.

- Based on that proposal, the 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 did 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 being 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.

- There are over 50% low confidence votes 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 to 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 by the time of the assessment and classification year, the competent authority has decided to enforce disciplinary action, or the collective or individual has been decided to increase the disciplinary measure by the competent authority in the assessment and classification year, the competent superior party organization shall base on the disciplinary measure, content, motive, nature, level, consequences, cause of the violation, and specific circumstances to consider re-assessing and re-classifying 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 disciplined at the new agency or unit, it will be counted in the evaluation 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.