Exerting best efforts to overcome difficulties, maintain economic growth and ensure social security

The first session of the 15th National Assembly (NA) took place in the context of the entire Party, army and people actively implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and the country’s recent successful organisation of the election of deputies to the 15th NA and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021-2026 term.

General view of the first session of the 15th National Assembly.
General view of the first session of the 15th National Assembly.

The whole country is exerting joint efforts day and night, sharing difficulties to resolutely push back the COVID-19 pandemic, which is currently evolving in an extremely complicated and dangerous manner. This session plays a very important role, laying the foundation for the operations of the 15th legislature, while continuing to innovate and improve its operational quality and efficiency, thus making appropriate, timely, and people-pleasing policy decisions.

At the meeting, the significance of the election of deputies to the 15th NA and all-level People’s Councils was deeply reiterated. This is a special election and an important political event attracting the attention of both people inside the country and the international community.

Under the close leadership of the Politburo and the Party Central Committee (PCC)’s Secretariat, as well as the drastic, scientific, timely, professional and creative direction of the NA, NA Standing Committee, National Election Council, Government, Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, and all levels, branches and organisations in charge of election affairs from the central to local levels, the election proceeded in a democratic, lawful, equal and secure fashion, ensuring safety and thrift, and was truly a great festival of the whole people, thus creating a profound imprint in the history of the Vietnamese legislature and winning high appreciation from the international community. The success of the election further affirmed the great strength of the great national unity spirit, patriotic tradition, self-reliance, and the people’s aspiration to rise above.

With a sense of responsibility and democracy, the NA finalised the key task of the first session, which was to consider and decide on the organisational structure as well as to elect and approve senior personnel of state agencies, ensuring the accordance of standards, conditions, processes and procedures prescribed by law. With high confidence, lawmakers elected the NA Chairperson, NA Vice Chairpersons, members of the NA Standing Committee, leaders of NA Committees, the NA General Secretary, and the State Auditor General. The NA also elected the State President, Vice President, Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court and Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, while electing the Prime Minister and approving the Prime Minister’s proposal on the appointment of Deputy Prime Ministers and other cabinet members.

In the context of the pandemic causing hardships for people’s lives and negatively affecting the country’s socio-economic development, the NA deputies focused on research and discussion, and agreed to join the Government to resolutely overcome difficulties and obstacles, towards effectively implementing tasks and solutions set for the remainder of the year. The whole political system will continue to closely follow reality and firmly grasp the situation to make timely, accurate and effective decisions. Deputies stressed the need to uphold the responsibility of leaders, while promoting the proactive and creative role of ministries and central and local agencies in the formulation and organisation of an effective and successful realisation of the programmes, plans, and political tasks assigned.

Lawmakers also agreed that the whole nation must remain united and consistent in effectively carrying out the dual goal of containing the pandemic and stepping up socio-economic development. They asked competent agencies to strengthen measures to tighten financial - state budget discipline, accelerate the disbursement of public investment, maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation, and ensure major balances of the economy. In addition, the NA urged for thoroughly grasping the spirit of economic development in parallel with implementing social progress and justice and ensuring social security, especially for vulnerable groups; strengthening resource management, environmental protection, and climate change response; maintaining political stability and solidifying national defence and security; and consolidating and expanding foreign affairs and international integration.

To focus the highest resources for COVID-19 prevention and control, the NA decided on a number of urgent solutions to remove difficulties and create a legal basis for the Government and the Prime Minister’s leadership, direction and management activities to be more timely, proactive, flexible and effective. Lawmakers agreed to adjust the working programme to end the first session three days ahead of schedule, but must still ensure the quality of the proposed work.

Through nine days of sitting, NA deputies reviewed, discussed and decided on many important issues of the country, such as the implementation of the State budget, the implementation results of the socio-economic development plan, the national target programme on poverty reduction and sustainable social security, the national target programme on new rural development, the law and ordinance making programme, and the NA’s supervision programme.

The first session of the 15th NA came to a good end, with its important policy decisions expected to power the country towards the successful realisation of the dual goal set by the Government and the Prime Minister. The most important task at present is to take care of and protect people's health, as well as to make utmost efforts to ensure production and business activities and prevent supply chains from being disrupted. Agencies from central to local levels, especially frontline forces such as health workers, army, police, and volunteers, must make constant efforts to effectively implement pandemic prevention and control.

The Vietnamese NA of Vietnam stays united and strives to focus on effectively institutionalising and materialising the important policy decisions adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, while unceasingly improving its operational efficiency, thereby promptly meeting the set requirements as well as the people’s aspirations. The NA deputies continue to uphold the sense of responsibility, wholeheartedly work for the country and the people, preserve moral qualities, and improve their qualifications in all aspects, in order to best fulfil the tasks assigned to them by voters and the people.