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19 May Vietnamese voters went to the polls for the third time
since 1992 to elect deputies to the National Assembly, Vietnam's
highest organ of state power. Under the terms of the reformist
1992 Electoral Law every seat must be contested and independent
candidates can nominate themselves outside of the party-controlled
selection process.
Vietnam's new candidate selection process places a high premium
on formal qualifications and ethical probity. A record 762
candidates were certified as eligible to run, including 13
independents. On the eve of the elections, Vietnam's 'festival of
democracy' was marred when three candidates were disqualified for
corruption. The National Assembly Standing Committee then took the
unprecedented step of reducing the number of deputies to be
elected from 500 to 498 in order to ensure that all seats were
contested.
One of the disqualified candidates was Tran Mai Hanh, head of
Voice of Vietnam Radio, secretary-general of the Vietnam
Journalists' Association and, more importantly, a member of the
Vietnam Communist Party (VCP) Central Committee. Hanh was found
guilty of associating with mobster Nam Cam and using his influence
'to have court charges brought against [Nam Cam] dropped'. On 15
July, the VCP Central Committee's sixth plenum expelled Hanh from
its ranks along with another member who was also associated with
Nam Cam. The sixth plenum also recommended that the first session
of the National Assembly (11th legislature) approve a major
ministerial reshuffle.
One of the major intentions of party reformers is to transform
Vietnam into a law-governed state by enhancing the role of the
National Assembly and improving the efficiency of its legislative
output. The outgoing tenth legislature left an enormous backlog of
legislation that must be passed if Vietnam is to successfully make
this transition. The 1992 Electoral Law was amended to include a
provision requiring that one-quarter of the deputies must serve on
a full-time basis on National Assembly committees based in Hanoi.
The incoming deputies to the eleventh legislature face the
daunting task of clearing up this legislative backlog and
regularizing Vietnam's laws to bring them in compliance with
provisions of the Bilateral Trade Agreement signed with the United
States. Unless the National Assembly takes prompt action Vietnam's
bid for membership in the World Trade Organization may be delayed.
At the opening session of the National Assembly, party
Secretary General Nong Duc Manh delivered a hard-hitting speech in
which he urged a step up in the campaign against corruption. Manh
argued that any individual found guilty, no matter how high
his/her rank, should be punished. A review of the credentials of
all incoming members was also ordered in light of public
complaints against ninety deputies during the election campaign.
Watchpoint:
Expect a major government leadership reshuffle involving up to
seven or more ministers, a reduction in the number of ministries,
and a continuation of the anti-corruption campaign with a focus on
party and state leaders. A thorough-going anti-corruption campaign
could disrupt Vietnam's legislative process and spark party
in-fighting.
Professor
Carlyle A. Thayer
Australian Defence Force
Academy and Deakin University
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