NA chairman urges thorough preparations ahead of March 15 elections

On March 5, the chairman, who also serves as head of the National Election Council, led a working delegation to inspect election preparations in the southern province of Dong Nai. The visit focused on readiness for the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly (NA) and members of People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man inspects a polling unit in Tan Trieu ward, Dong Nai province. Photo: VNA

During a field inspection at Polling Station No.17 in Tan Trieu ward, the NA chairman noted that Dong Nai has a population of nearly 4.5 million, including more than 421,000 ethnic minorities accounting for 9.4 per cent. The province is also home to over 2.5 million religious followers, while the number of temporary residents at local industrial parks remains considerable.

Given these demographics, he suggested that in areas with large religious communities, authorities should promote the role of reputable figures such as parish priests and clergymen in communication and mobilisation efforts.

“In particular, as Election Day (March 15) falls on a Sunday, local authorities should arrange appropriate schedules to create favourable conditions for Catholic parishioners and other voters to cast their ballots,” he said.

For ethnic minority communities, Chairman Man stressed the importance of conducting communication and mobilisation activities through various appropriate methods, including the use of ethnic languages to disseminate information and raise awareness about the important event.

This would help voters clearly understand the significance of the Election Day – dubbed as a ‘National Festival Day’, where each citizen expresses their rights, responsibilities, and confidence in the country’s development through every ballot.

At the same time, the province should coordinate with industrial park management boards, businesses and local management units at all levels to update population changes, ensuring that migrant workers and voters whose residency status changes close to Election Day can still exercise their voting rights.

At a working session with the Dong Nai Election Committee, Man and his delegation acknowledged the committee's proactive, serious, and timely implementation of election preparations, noting that the work had been carried out in compliance with the law and with directives from central authorities.

Noting that the time remaining until Election Day is short while many tasks still need to be carried out, the NA chairman urged the province to focus on several key priorities.

“Candidates must meet voters in a serious manner, either directly or online, in order to grasp the thoughts and aspirations of the people. This cannot be done in a superficial or perfunctory way,” he explained.

Noting that the election is being conducted under a new apparatus with new personnel and requirements, Man said, "The province must not be complacent. Officials must be assigned to closely monitor grassroots areas, election teams, and polling stations.

"All relevant forces must carefully review voter lists and ensure contingency plans are in place for security, public order, and healthcare services, while preparing measures to promptly address any arising situations."

The NA chairman also stressed the need to strengthen communication efforts in both breadth and depth so that people – from urban centres to rural and mountainous areas – can feel the atmosphere of a nationwide festival.

According to reports from 34 provinces and cities, the country has 73,457,255 voters casting ballots at 72,195 polling stations.

Voter lists have been publicly posted at commune-level People’s Committee offices, community houses in residential areas, urban quarters, hamlets and villages, as well as other public locations within polling areas in accordance with the legally prescribed timeline.

At the request of the Election Committees of 11 localities, the National Election Council has issued documents allowing 218 polling stations in these localities to conduct early voting.

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