NA meeting to select new cabinet

The 11th session of the 13th National Assembly will see the selection of key government officials

National Assembly Secretary Nguyen Hanh Phuc said that the legislature would use the 10.5 days, from March 31 to April 12, to “carefully consider and select candidates for key state positions, including the state president, the prime minister, and the chairman of the National Assembly, as well as associated government officials.”

“The Party leads the nation. So the Party will introduce their selections to the National Assembly, and after that the legislature will make their choices,” Phuc said.

Additionally, based on the prime minister’s proposals on electing government members, the National Assembly will also discuss and choose candidates for the these government positions during the session.

Phuc said that the key leadership positions would typically be elected in the first session of the 14th National Assembly, which will begin in July 2016. However, in order to prepare for this session, the three key leaders would be elected in during the upcoming 11th session of the 13th National Assembly.

“The first session of the 14th National Assembly will be very important for Vietnam in commencing the implementation process for the five-year Socio-Economic Development Plan 2016-2020,” Phuc said.

However, he revealed that so far, there have yet been any proposals on the resignation of the state president, the prime minister, or the National Assembly chairman.

During the 11th session of the 13th National Assembly, seven laws will be considered and adopted (see box). The legislature will also review and debate several socio-economic issues, such as the implementation of last year’s socio-economic development goals, the 2015 state budget, and the implementation of the five-year Socio-Economic Development Plan 2011-2015.

The National Assembly will also decide on the five-year Socio-Economic Development Plan 2016-2020, and the five-year Plan of Land Use 2016-2020.

It will also review reports from the State Audit, the 13th National Assembly and its associated agencies, as well as reports from the state president, the government, the prime minister, the Supreme People’s Court, and the Supreme People’s Procuracy.

The legislature will also likely adopt an agreement on visa issuance between Vietnam and the US.