Candidates should not make empty promises.

Speaking to the press after the third round of consultations at the central level, Mr. Nguyen Van Pha, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (a member of the National Assembly in the 12th and 13th terms and a four-time participant in election organization), analyzed the method of allocating central-level delegates to localities as well as the forms of election campaigning to ensure fairness and transparency in the election. Mr. Nguyen Van Pha stated:

The Law on Election of National Assembly Deputies and People's Council Deputies at all levels, recently passed by the National Assembly, stipulates two and only two forms of election campaigning: contacting voters in the constituency and campaigning through presenting action programs in the press and mass media. In particular, campaigning through meetings with voters in the constituency is organized by the Fatherland Front Committee at the same level in collaboration with local government leaders.

* ReporterSir, there is an opinion that the interaction between candidates for the National Assembly and People's Council with voters has certain limitations, such as the fact that the number of voters attending cannot be large, thus resulting in low representativeness?

* Mr. NGUYEN VAN PHA:It's true that localities are trying to increase voter attendance, but this is very difficult, sometimes simply due to a lack of suitable venues, insufficient seating, etc. As a result, each conference only has a few hundred attendees, and in each electoral district, candidates can only attend 5 to 7 meetings. This means that in total, around 1,000 people attend to hear the candidates' action programs. Although this group includes representatives of the local government and community organizations who have significant influence over the local electorate, this number is still not large compared to the total number of voters in that area.

Therefore, candidates must utilize the second crucial channel, mass media, to introduce their action programs. Candidates can present their programs at mass media outlets, in local newspapers, and on the National Election Council's website to reach a wider audience. Regarding this matter, at a recent meeting, the Chairwoman of the National Election Council, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, once again reminded local election organizing agencies to ensure that candidates, whether central leaders or local candidates, are treated equally in presenting their action programs and in terms of campaign time on newspapers, radio, and television.

Having participated in election organization numerous times, what experiences can you share about campaigning most effectively?

For candidates who are officials at the central and local levels, campaigning is not difficult because they have a lot of experience. However, first-time candidates or those who are grassroots officials face certain challenges. In my opinion, candidates need to clearly understand their rights and responsibilities, and dedicate adequate time to thoroughly research the locality where they are running. And especially, they must not make empty promises because all decisions of the National Assembly are collective decisions. Therefore, they cannot say, "If I get into the National Assembly, I will enact this law or that law..." They can only promise to regularly listen to and honestly reflect the opinions of the people to the relevant authorities; to dedicate time to meeting with citizens at least twice a year... Any issues that have been forwarded to the relevant authorities must be followed up to provide answers to the people. Only by making and fulfilling such promises will they gain the trust of the voters.

What about using social media for election campaigning?

The law doesn't prohibit propaganda on social media. However, if a National Assembly representative runs for election in a remote area, voters may find it difficult to learn about their campaign through social media.

* How are violations of election campaigning regulations handled?

Violations of these prohibitions are subject to the highest penalty, which is removal from the list, in addition to other administrative penalties. At all levels, we have election committees to receive information and handle any situations that arise.

* It is known that many working groups have been sent to monitor the situation. Through the monitoring process, what shortcomings have these working groups discovered?

Not only the Fatherland Front but also other competent authorities are coordinating the supervision. Through practical supervision, I basically see no major obstacles. Initially, there was the issue of receiving candidacy applications. This time, the regulations in the law are more flexible, allowing candidates to download applications from the website, fill in all the information, and submit them to the relevant authorities. Initially, some applications were filled out incorrectly and had to be redone multiple times, but now all localities have been able to handle it. Many localities complain about the slow disbursement of funds, and they have to advance funds themselves.

* What about the allocation of central government delegates to local areas, sir?

Following the criteria set by the National Election Council, there have been no cases so far of high-ranking leaders "requesting" to run for election in one place or another to increase their chances of winning. After the third round of consultations, all qualified candidates have been included in the lists by the Fatherland Front at all levels, and I believe that the election preparation process is being carried out in the right direction and in accordance with the law.

* How can we minimize the practice of "blind voting" or proxy voting – meaning voting without consent or voting on behalf of someone else?

The only solution is to campaign because there are no penalties for proxy voting or "blind voting".

Thank you, sir.

According to Saigon Liberation