It was identified by the 13th Congress that innovating the Party's leadership and ruling mode over the political system is the major focus in Party building work. Therefore, it is today’s urgent issue for each Party committee and organisation at all levels today to continue to thoroughly grasp, implement and promote innovation of this content in the new era with a number of practical and synchronous solutions.

In the process of revolutionary leadership, in addition to the correct and appropriate policies and guidelines as a necessary condition, the Party's leadership and ruling method is one of the important factors that create sufficient conditions to ensure for the victory of the revolution. Therefore, in recent years, the Party's innovation of leadership and ruling vis-à-vis the State, the Fatherland Front and socio-political organisations has always been focused. In particular, after 15 years of implementing Resolution No. 15-NQ/TW, dated July 30, 2007 of the 5th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (10^th tenure) and the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress on this issue, the Party's leadership method vis-à-vis the political system, many innovations and important results have been achieved.

Awareness and responsibility of party committees and organisations, the pioneering and exemplary qualities of cadres, party members, and leaders in promulgation, mobilisation, and implementation of the Party's policies and guidelines are enhanced. The mechanism "the Party’s leadership, the State’s management and the people’s mastery" is strictly implemented in an orderly manner. The arrangement of the apparatus, promotion of decentralisation and devolution of power, the promotion of initiative and creativity of party committees and organisations at all levels have been strengthened, gradually overcoming the situation of pleading, substituting or loosening Party’s leadership. The quality of cadres has been improved; inspection and supervision work has been strengthened; the work of summarising practice and theoretical research has been promoted, etc. "making an important contribution to improving ruling capacity, ensuring comprehensive and effective leadership of the Party over the activities of the political system and in the fields of socio-economic development". However, there are still some shortcomings due to the awareness of some party committees, party organisations, officials and party members being insufficient, inconsistent, not in-depth and synchronised in the implementation process.

To continue to strongly innovate the Party's leadership methods in new conditions, ensuring the Party fulfilled its historic mission, on November 17, 2022, the 6th Plenum of the Party Central Committee (6^th tenure) issued Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW on "Continuing to innovate the Party's leadership and ruling methods vis-à-vis the political system in the new period". The set goal is: to create strong and substantive changes in innovating the Party's leadership and ruling methods over the political system; while maintaining the Party's principles, while simultaneously promoting the initiative and creativity of party committees, party organisations, cadres, party members, and each agency, organisation, individual in the political system. Improve organisational capacity to implement the Party's policies and guidelines, especially institutionalising and concretising them into laws and sub-law documents in order to create substantive changes, achieving high results in implementing the Party's policies and guidelines at all levels. Promote collective responsibility, promote the pioneering and exemplary role of cadres, party members, and leaders in implementing the Party's policies and guidelines, and the State's policies and laws, in association with strict control of power. Build working methods and style of party committees and organisations at all levels that are truly scientific, democratic, and close to reality; ensure the Party's leadership and direction from the Central to the grassroots. In order to realise the above objectives, it is necessary to continue to perform synchronously the tasks and solutions. In particular, it is necessary to pay special attention to the following main contents:

Regarding the method of leading cadre work

Cadres are the decisive factor in the success or failure of the revolution, associated with the destiny of the Party, the country and the regime, and the key stage in the construction of the Party and the political system. Therefore, the Party's unified, direct and comprehensive leadership in cadre work is the immutable principle of the operation of the entire political system of our country. It is even more necessary to pay attention to the effectiveness of cadres' work in the Party's leadership and ruling methods in the new period.

The Party must directly lead the cadre work; perfecting regulations on selection, assignment, appointment and introduction of cadres of all levels of Party committees and organisations in the direction of democracy, publicity and transparency in compliance with standards and conditions; summarising the pilot exam for certain leadership and management positions. Continue to strictly comply with the Party's regulations on controlling power in cadre work, combating the bribery for positions and power. Carry out extensive monitoring and inspection with focus and key points; proactively prevent and stop shortcomings and violations of party organisations, cadres and party members early and from afar, not allowing small violations to accumulate into big ones; in which, it is necessary to focus on inspecting and supervising party organisations, heads and key officials in high-risk areas, and to handle violations resolutely, strictly and promptly. Continue to effectively concretise and implement the Party's policies on building a contingent of cadres at all levels, focusing cadres at strategic levels on par with tasks. At the same time, pay attention to building mechanisms and policies to attract and recruit talents; institutionalise the Party's policy on encouraging and protecting cadres who are dynamic, creative, dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility for the common good.

Along with that, promote the prevention and combat of negative phenomena in cadre work; encouraging cadres with shortcomings to resign; promptly replacing cadres who are disciplined, with insufficient capacity or declining prestige, without waiting for the end of tenure or appointment term. The cadre evaluation must be comprehensive, close, substantive, objective and multi-dimensional; along with the quality, political bravery, consciousness, responsibility and prestige in the collective and among the people; special attention must be paid to work skills, quality and efficiency of assigned work, by products, specific results; evaluating individuals must be associated with collective and the results of performing political tasks of agencies, units and localities. Regularly warn and remind staff to identify risks, not making mistakes, and promptly correct shortcomings; clearly define the responsibility of the heads whose direct subordinates are corrupted and negative. Strictly abide by the Party's regulations on taking votes of confidence in leaders of the Party committees, state agencies, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organisations, ensuring democracy, objectivity, fair and transparent.

Regarding the method of building the apparatus, promoting administrative reform

In recent years, although the political system in general and the Party's apparatus in particular have been reorganised towards compactness, streamlining, effectiveness and efficiency. However, it is necessary to continue to study and perfect the overall organisational structure of the political system; which focuses on resolving relationships along with reasonable and clear decentralisation and devolution among party organisations. Strictly implement the Party's policy on management of the political system’s personnel, streamlining personnel by job positions, with focus and key points, associated with improving quality, restructuring the contingent of cadres, public employees and civil servants. Strive to basically complete the job-based construction in each agency and organisation by 2025, as a basis for determining the total personnel of the political system in our country in the period 2026 - 2031.

Promote administrative reform, innovate leadership styles, working methods, and working practices in Party agencies from the Central to the grassroots, ensuring the scientific, democratic, thorough, and specific sense; strictly regulate tasks, powers, relationships, and work processes, overcome the situation of making excuses, substituting, violating the principle of democratic centralism, imposing or loosening the leadership role of party committees, party organization. Focus on applying information technology and digital transformation in agencies and organisations of the political system at all levels to promote administrative reform; Build a database of party organisations, party members and Party documents, connecting from the Central to the grassroots. Develop and apply criteria and indexes to evaluate the effectiveness and quality of activities of agencies and organisations such as public administration, administrative reform, satisfaction index of officials, party members, people, serving as a basis for improving quality, working style and manners; continue to innovate information and reporting work within the Party, ensuring fast, accurate and timely.

Regarding to innovating and improving the quality and efficiency of inspection and supervision

In terms of ruling, one of the key issues in both theory and practice in Party building and rectification is to control power, not to be abused, so that power can be exercised to bring maximum benefit to the revolution.

Therefore, in addition to strengthening and improving effectiveness and efficiency; promoting the role and responsibilities of the Party's advisory and assisting agencies in inspection and supervision, etc., it is necessary to pay attention to the close and synchronous coordination between the Party's inspection, supervision and the State’s inspection, audit and investigation. Focus on inspecting and supervising party organisations, leaders and key officials in high-risk areas, where present people’s frustration and attract public interest. Exercise good control over power; preventing and combating corruption and negative phenomena in inspection, scrutinisation and auditing work. Resolutely, strictly and promptly handle party organisations and party members that commit violations.

Along with that, Party committees and organisations at all levels need to continue to innovate and perfect regulations on the responsibilities of example-setting of cadres and party members, especially leaders, managers, in association with learning and practicing Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality and style. Officials holding positions set an example for party members who do not hold positions, from within the Party to outside the Party, superiors set an example for subordinates. The leader, the collective leadership and, more broadly, the entire Party set a good example, contributing to spreading good deeds and exemplary examples in society. At the same time, uphold the responsibilities of cadres and party members in mobilising their families and relatives to build an exemplary lifestyle.

The Party's leadership method is to realise the Party's policies and guidelines with revolutionary achievements, turning the aspiration for independence, freedom and happiness for the nation into reality, firstly to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress. That is also the requirement of continuing to innovate the Party's leadership and ruling methods for the political system. With firm political bravery, correct political stance, high political determination, and bright intellect, our entire Party, people and army will definitely continue to achieve many victories, bringing the Party’s revolutionary cause to success.

Professor, PhD. MACH QUANG THANG