Vietnamese show stronger interest in legislative body: UNDP representative

UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi – Vietnamese people are showing stronger interest in the National Assembly and issues related to the powerful agency, reflected by their high level of engagement in preparations for the upcoming elections of deputies to the 15th NA and People’s Councils at all levels in the 2021-2026 tenure, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen has said.

More than 69 million voters are expected to cast their ballots at polling stations across the country on May 23, she noted, lauding Vietnam’s efforts in ensuring safety for the important event amid the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Expressing her impression at the vibrant atmosphere across the country ahead of the elections, the UNDP representative underlined that involving in the elections is an important chance for people to practice their rights to choose their representatives.

People's participation in politics is part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which state that all people have equal rights to engage in public issues, to cast their votes and to run for the elections, she said.

Wiesen recalled President Ho Chi Minh’s statement in the first general election of Vietnam in 1946, saying that all citizens from the age of 18 upwards have the rights to run for the elections and cast their votes regardless their background, religions and race. Seventy-five years later, those principles are still suitable and important, she stressed.

The official cited a recent research by UNDP Vietnam on people-elected female deputies' contributions to Vietnam's development in the 2016-2021 period, showing that both male and female deputies consider the interest of voters as the most important factor impacting their viewpoints on a specific issue.

The research revealed that female deputies interact with voters via social media more often than their male peers. In their action plans, female deputies showed greater interest in the areas of education-training and healthcare than male deputies, said Wiesen.

She said that the UNDP hopes to strengthen cooperation with and support to Vietnam in building leadership capacity for people-elected female deputies so that they can implement their tasks better after being elected.