| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Quoc-Hoi / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
22 May 2011 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the National Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
On 6 January 2011, the National Assembly Standing Committee set the date for general elections on 22 May. It agreed to the establishment of an election council, to be chaired by Speaker Nguyen Phu Trong, also the Communist Party General Secretary. At stake in the 2011 elections were 500 seats in the National Assembly, up from 493.
The Communist Party - the only legal party in the country - traditionally fields most candidates in elections. However, up to 10 per cent of the National Assembly members can be non-party members, who are mainly endorsed by official groups representing women or veterans. Self-nominated candidates (not nominated by State or party agencies) are also allowed to stand for elections but all candidatures, irrespective of category, are screened by the Fatherland Front (an umbrella body of powerful pro-government mass-movements close to the Communist Party).
In the previous elections held in May 2007, the Communist Party won 450 of the 493 seats at stake. Forty-two non-party members and one self-nominated candidate were also elected. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was returned to parliament with the highest proportion of votes nationwide - 99.07 per cent. In July, Mr. Nguyen was re-elected Speaker.
The National Assembly had reportedly been gaining power in recent years. In June 2010, It rejected a US$ 56 billion bullet train project, following which the Speaker asked the Government to submit a more detailed plan to the Parliament. Many parliamentarians had reportedly questioned the economic viability of the project, which was estimated to cost an amount equal to half of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). In November, several parliamentarians called for an investigation to determine whether cabinet members, including the Prime Minister, were in any way responsible for massive losses incurred at a State-owned shipbuilding conglomerate. Prime Minister Dung admitted his responsibility in the conglomerate's downfall and pledged to make public alleged wrongdoing by Cabinet members.
In January 2011, the Communist Party held its 11th National Congress, which was attended by over 1,300 delegates representing some 3.6 million party members in the country of 87 million inhabitants. It adopted a resolution to transform Viet Nam into an industrialized country by 2020. Viet Nam has one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. However, recent hikes in food, electricity and fuel prices - resulting in double-digit inflation - severely affected many citizens, who earn an average of US$ 100 per month.
In 2011, 827 candidates, including 260 women, were vying for parliamentary seats. They included 118 non-party members and 15 self-nominated candidates.
Election campaigning was marked by banners hung across roadways extolling the virtues of Communist Party. Mr. Truong Tan Sang, a member of the Politburo and Central Committee of the Party, pledged to work hard to implement the resolutions adopted by the 11th National Congress. He vowed to make State agencies "bodies of the people, by the people and for the people", underscoring that the National Assembly played an important role as the supreme State organ of power.
According to the official results, over 99.51 per cent of the 63 million registered voters turned out at the polls. The successful candidates included 454 Communist Party members, 42 non-party members and four self-nominated candidates. In all, 122 women and 78 candidates from ethnic minorities were elected.
On 21 July, the newly-elected National Assembly held its first session. On 23 July, it elected Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung as its new Speaker.
On 25 July the National Assembly elected Mr. Truong Tan Sang as the new State President. The following day, it re-elected Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung as Prime Minister. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 22 May 2011 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
63'000'000
61'965'651 (98.36%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Communist Party |
454
|
|
|
|
|
| Non-party members |
42
|
|
|
|
|
| Self-nominated candidates |
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
378
122
24.40%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
National Assembly (01.01.2014)
http://en.www.info.vn |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
