VietNamNet Bridge – The 11^th Party Central Committee may have around 175 official members and 25 alternate members, said Nguyen The Ky, vice chief of the Party Central Committee’s Information and Education Department, in an interview with VNExpress, an online newspaper.

In 2010 Vietnam made a landmark with its GDP of more than $100 billion and getting out of the group of low-income countries. What policies for the next five years will the 11^th Party Congress introduce to further improve the living standards?

 

The 11^th Party Congress is a historical event that marks the important development of the country. This Party Congress will review the first decade of the 21^st century and work out the development strategy for the next decade.

 

The world has changed remarkably since the Party issued the political program in 1991. The growth model of our country will have to change.

 

Previously, we developed in breadth but now we have to develop both in breadth and in depth and develop hi-tech industries to raise the added value. We also need to change the management model, to restructure and to improve the effectiveness of state-owned groups.

 

The draft political report also defines development goals for 2011-2015, including GDP growth rate of 7-7.5 percent, per capita GDP by 2015 at $2000 (1.7 folds more than 2010).

 

One of the most interesting issues is personnel. How many members will be elected to the Politburo and the Party Central Committee?

 

The 10^th Party Central Committee held many meetings in the second half of 2010 to discuss and introduce the personnel for the upcoming tenure. They are officials with excellent qualification, virtuous characters, who enjoy good reputation in the Party and have renovation-oriented thinking, who dare to speak, dare to do and dare to bear responsibility.

 

The 10^th Party Central Committee will introduce the list of nominees for the 11^th Party Congress to consider and approve. However, delegates can run for the membership independently or introduce other nominees. The 11^th Party Congress plans to elect 175 official members and 25 alternate members.

 

Delegates to the 11^th Party Congress have the right to stand to elect members of the Party Central Committee or recommend nominees. What is the procedure for this?

 

The people who are recommended or those who propose themselves as candidates must meet the standards for official and alternate members of the Party Central Committee. For example, the age of alternate members must be less than 40 (not exceeding 45 in special cases).

 

However, not all cases will be accepted because if the number of candidates is too high, the votes may be dispersed. The presidium will consider and introduce a reasonably long list of candidates to the Congress. Delegates will vote for the candidates in the list.

 

Compared to the earlier tenures, the average age of central members in recent tenures are quite high. How will this issue be considered in the 11^th tenure?

 

This is a concern of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo and the Secretariat of the 10th tenure. In the 11^th tenure, at least one third will be new members It means that the number of re-elected members will not exceed two thirds of the total members. Members will be at three levels of age: less than 40, less than 50-55 and 60. For members of the Politburo and the Secretariat, the re-elected members will be mainly less than 65 years old.

 

Why does the Party Central Committee always emphasize the importance to elect members with renovation-oriented thinking?

 

The life is changing. The world situation is also changing so the Party needs people withrenovation-oriented thinking. Certainly, renovation must be based on the actual situation and theory. The Party needs renovation because it is the indispensable requirement of life.

 

On January 7, Secretary General Nong Duc Manh inspected logistic works at the My Dinh Convention Centre.   On January 8, Truong Tan Sang, Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat attended the rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the 11th Party Congress at the My Dinh Convention Centre in Hanoi.   The 11th National Party Congress will take place in Hanoi from January 12 to 19 with the participation of 1377 official delegates who represent more than 3.6 million Party members in 54,000 grassroots Party organizations. The Congress will also have guests who are former Party and State leaders, Vietnam Heroic Mothers, representatives of intellectuals, of the youth and foreign diplomats.   The opening and closing ceremonies will be aired live on the national television channel. During the congress, daily press releases will be issued. Around 600 local and nearly 120 foreign journalists will cover the event.   The congress will discuss and approve a political report by the CPV Central Committee (10th tenure), a report reviewing the 20-year implementation of the platform on national construction in the transition to socialism, and a detailed draft report that sums up the implementation of the 2011-2010 national socio-economic development strategy.   It is also expected to give approval to the platform on national construction in the transition to socialism (revised and supplemented in 2011), the 2011-2020 national socio-economic development strategy as well as the amended Party Statute.   The congress will elect a new Party Central Committee for the 11th tenure of 2011-2015, the highest body of the CPV leadership between the two congresses.   In the next five years, Vietnam strives to attain a GDP growth rate of 7-8 percent per year with a per-capita income reaching US$2,100 in 2015, 1.7 times higher than that of 2010.   The National Party Congress is held every five years.

 

PV