Of 41 finalists, 22 attained 100 percent of confidence votes at the last consultation meeting on April 14, including actress Hong Anh, HCM City Party Secretary Le Thanh Hai, Vice head of HCM City National Assembly delegation Tran Du Lich and Chief of HCM City Party Committee’s Education and Information Department.

 

There are 12 candidates who are women, four independent candidates (three businessmen and the director of the HCM City Institute for Electric-Electronics-Information Technology), two ethnic minorities, nine non-Party members and three candidates who are less than 35 years old.

 

In terms of education, 21 have university degrees and 20 have M.A and PhD degrees.

 

April 17 is the deadline for provinces to organize the last consultation meeting. After that, final candidates will have 18 days for canvassing.

 

There will be 93,800 voting precincts throughout the country in the upcoming National Assembly and People’s Council election (2011-2016 term). The election will take place on Sunday, May 22.

 

Efforts to increase female NA deputy numbers

 

The National Committee for the Advancement of Women (NCAW) held a talk in Hanoi on April 14 on dissemination campaigns aimed at raising the rates of female National Assembly deputies and People’s Council representatives in the 2011-2016 term.

 

NCAW Chairman and Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that to boost the development of women, the Party and the State have issued many policies and laws that create favorable conditions for women to become involved in political activities in general, and the NA and People’s Councils at all levels in particular.

 

However, the proportion of women engaged in politics has yet to reach its potential, she said.

 

At present, the rate of women holding key positions in State agencies is very low with one minister and 10 out of 100 deputy ministers. Women only account for 4.67 percent of provincial People’s Council chairpersons and 1.59 percent of provincial People’s Committee chairpersons.

 

According to Ngan, the biggest challenge for the implementation of gender equality in the political sector in Vietnam is social preconceptions. In addition, several different regulations for women and men on ages of retirement and training limit women’s participation in aspects of social life.

 

Emphasizing the important and decisive role of the media in changing public awareness of gender equality and the roles, positions and contributions of women, Ngan asked news and press agencies to continue boosting activities and messages in support for women during the elections.

 

News and press agencies should focus on disseminating positive stories on women’s participation in leading and managing in order to help raise the rate of female National Assembly deputies and People’s Council representatives in the 2011-2016 term to 30 percent and above, she said.

 

Thai Thien