Vuong Dinh Hue, Politburo member and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, was elected as Chairman of the National Assembly and the National Election Council. In photo: Vuong Dinh Hue takes the oath of office.

All of the 473 deputies present at the sitting, or 98.54 percent of the total number of NA deputies, cast “yes” ballots. (Photo: VNA)

Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue is the new Chair of the 15th-tenure National Assembly and the National Election Council.

He was sworn in on March 31 morning after receiving 100 per cent of the votes from the 473 legislators during the 11th sitting of the 14th-tenure legislature.

Hue, 64, is the 12th parliament chair since the first general election was held in Vietnam in 1946, and the second Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee to be in this position after the incumbent Secretary-General and State President Nguyen Phu Trong.

Addressing the legislature, Hue thanked the NA for electing him as Chairman of the NA and pledged absolute loyalty to the Fatherland, the people and the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

He also committed to doing his utmost to fulfil the tasks assigned by the Party, State and people.

“As the Chairman of the National Assembly, I promise to try my best, together with the NA Standing Committee, NA agencies, NA Standing Committee agencies, and NA deputies, to inherit and promote the good tradition and great achievements of the NA in the past tenures, continue reforming methods, enhance the quality and efficiency of the NA’s operations for the supreme target of serving the nation’s interests and for the people’s happiness,” Hue stressed.

As the Chairman of the NEC, Hue pledged that he will work with the council’s members to seriously perform the council’s functions, missions and power as stipulated by law, and successfully organise the elections to elect competent deputies who are able to represent the people’s will, aspirations and right to mastery in the legislative body and the People’s Councils at all levels in the next term.

He also thanked former NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and other predecessors for their important contributions to the legislature’s operation and the enhancement of the Vietnamese NA’s position on the international arena.

Hue succeeds Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, 66, the first woman elected to hold the top legislator position in the country's history five years ago, after her term came to an end and a resolution on the official dismissal of Ngan was adopted by the NA on Tuesday.

Hue was born in the central province of Nghe An and began his career as a lecturer at the Hanoi Finance and Accounting University in the late 70s-mid-80s. He studied abroad at the University of Economics in Bratislava (Slovakia) from 1986-90, returned as a lecturer and moved up in the ladder until he became the vice director of the Hanoi Finance and Accounting University in 1999.

He has a doctorate degree in economics, knows English, Russian, and some Czechoslovakian.

Since being admitted to the Party Central Committee of the Party in 2006, Hue has held various high-ranking positions: State Auditor General (2006-11), Minister of Finance (2011-13), Head of the Central Economic Commission (December 2012-April 206), Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economics (2016-2020), and currently Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee since February 2020.

Also during the sitting, the NA Standing Committee will present proposals on relieving certain NA Vice Chairpersons and the legislators will hold group discussions on this issue.

The legislature will cast secret ballots to relieve several NA Vice Chairpersons.

Following the release of the voting results, the deputies are scheduled to debate and vote on a resolution on relieving these NA Vice Chairpersons.

Later in the day, the NA Standing Committee will present a list of candidates for the positions, and the legislators will discuss in groups the candidates.

VNA/VNS

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