This morning, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, who also serves as Chairman of the National Election Council, chaired a nationwide online conference to implement preparations for the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term.

The conference was connected to 34 provincial-level sites and 3,321 commune-level sites nationwide.

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh described the meeting as highly significant. It aimed to comprehensively assess achievements in election preparations, candidly acknowledge shortcomings and difficulties, and propose solutions to ensure the successful leadership and organization of the upcoming election.

Notably, this election introduces several first-time measures, including the organization of local government under a two-tier model, shortening the timeline for implementing steps in the electoral process, and promoting information technology application and digital transformation in election administration.

The Vice Chairwoman emphasized that only 17 days remain until election day. Although time is limited, this is the decisive stage. The remaining workload is substantial and critical, requiring high concentration, careful and synchronized implementation to secure the overall success of the election - an event to which more than one million officials from central to grassroots levels are contributing.

The Politburo has given special attention to this election and issued important conclusions covering four key areas: personnel work; ensuring the election of the full number of National Assembly deputies, including full-time deputies at the central level, and the full number of People’s Council deputies; information and communications; and reporting mechanisms.

218 early voting areas approved

Reporting at the conference, National Assembly Secretary General and Chairman of the National Assembly Office Le Quang Manh said preparations have so far been carried out proactively, methodically and in line with the requirements of the Politburo, the Secretariat and the National Election Council.

Regarding candidates for the 16th National Assembly, the National Election Council has issued a resolution announcing the official list of 864 candidates across 182 electoral units.

Of these, 217 candidates were nominated by central agencies, while 647 were nominated by localities, achieving a ratio of 1.73 candidates per seat to be elected. There are four self-nominated candidates, accounting for 0.46 percent. The candidate surplus meets regulatory requirements and aligns with the planned structure and composition.

In the combined national structure, 392 candidates are women, accounting for 45.37 percent. There are 187 young candidates under the age of 40, representing 21.64 percent. Ethnic minority candidates total 188, or 21.76 percent. Non-Party candidates number 64, accounting for 7.41 percent. A total of 236 candidates are incumbent deputies seeking re-election, representing 27.31 percent.

In terms of professional qualifications, 593 candidates hold postgraduate degrees, accounting for 68.63 percent. Another 261 candidates have university degrees, representing 30.21 percent, while 10 candidates have qualifications below university level, accounting for 1.16 percent.

For People’s Council deputies at the provincial level, 2,554 seats will be elected. The official list includes 4,223 candidates, achieving a ratio of 1.65 candidates per seat. Among them, 10 are self-nominated, accounting for 0.24 percent.

At the commune level, 72,613 seats are to be filled in accordance with the law. The official candidate list includes 121,242 individuals, achieving a ratio of 1.67 candidates per seat. There are 64 self-nominated candidates, accounting for 0.05 percent.

Overall, preparations for candidate personnel in the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term have been carried out in a synchronized and rigorous manner, ensuring compliance with procedures, authority, standards and conditions as stipulated by law.

The compilation, review and public posting of voter lists have been conducted seriously and in accordance with regulations. According to reports from all 34 provinces and centrally governed cities, there are 73,457,255 voters nationwide who will cast ballots at 72,195 polling stations. Voter lists have been publicly posted at designated locations within the legally prescribed timeframe.

Regarding voter meetings and election campaigning, as well as training for first-time candidates, once the official list of candidates was announced, candidates began meeting voters and conducting campaign activities in line with approved plans.

The handling of complaints and denunciations, along with citizen reception and petition processing at the central level, has been carried out seriously, objectively and within proper authority.

On the organization of early voting, Le Quang Manh said that following proposals from election committees in 11 provinces and cities, the National Election Council has approved early voting at 218 polling stations in those localities.

In the coming period, the National Election Council and relevant agencies will focus on leading and directing the synchronized and rigorous implementation of many critical tasks. In particular, the organization of voting and ballot counting must be strict, objective and in full compliance with the law, with timely and accurate reporting. The aggregation and announcement of results must meet the prescribed deadline, no later than March 25, and complaints and denunciations must be resolved in accordance with authority.

Tran Thuong