National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung speaking at the 70th anniversary of Vietnam’s first general election

After President Ho Chi Minh delivered the Independence Declaration to establish the Vietnam People’s Democratic State, on January 6^th 1946, pursuant to Decree No.14-SL of September 8^th 1945 and Decree No.51-SL of October 17^th 1945, all Vietnamese voters participated in their first General Election to give birth to the first National Assembly of Vietnam. Success of the General Election marked a milestone in the development of democratic regime in Vietnam. The National Assembly (NA) is an outcome and also a demanding requirement of the Vietnamese revolution.

Over the past 70 years of development and perfection, the NA, under the leadership of the VPA, has successfully performed its 3 basic functions, namely legislation, supreme supervision, and decision-making of important issues of the country.

Great achievements of the Vietnamese Revolution in the cause of building and consolidating the people’s government, establishing the current democracy, making the people of Vietnam master of their own country have a close relationship with the 5 Constitutes enacted by the NA (1946, 1959, 1980, 1992, and 2013 Constitutions). Those basis law systems established the national sovereignty, stipulated political, economic, cultural, and social regime, the State structure, and basic rights of citizens. On this basis, the NA promulgated hundreds of laws in all fields, institutionalized the Party’s guideline on building and protecting the Homeland, and providing a firm legal ground for strengthening the country’s potential and synergy in each revolutionary period.

Supervision of the NA aims to ensure that power, will, and aspirations of the people be realized in reality. Exercising its function of supervision, annually the NA reviews reports of State organs on their task performance and specially supervises the resolution of issues that voters and people nationwide concern. Recently, under the spirit of innovation, the NA, in its regular meetings, has held question-and-answer sessions for executive and judicial leaders; especially taking credibility votes for the posts elected or ratified by the NA, which is highly appreciated by voters and the people.

Notably, in its 13^th tenure, the NA has promulgated the 2013 Constitution, ushering in a new period for the country, being a firm political and legal basis for the whole Party, the whole people, and the whole military to accelerate the country’s reform. The Constitution held that Homeland protection is the cause of all people, the sacred duty and the noble right of each citizen. The State is responsible for strengthening the all people defence and all people security in which the people’s armed forces are the core.

Since the enactment of the Constitution, only for 2 years, the NA has basically accomplished promulgation of laws concretizing articles of the Constitution and adequately institutionalizing the Party’s guideline on building the Vietnam’s socialist ruled-by-law State, perfecting the socialist democracy in which human rights, basic rights and duties of citizens are guaranteed, and amending, supplementing, and promulgating laws on defence and security to provide legal ground for the cause of national defence and security.

In its legislative activity, the 13^th NA has institutionalized the Party’s views and thoughts in the supplemented 2011 Platform on building defence, security, and Homeland protection into the Constitution. It has also supplemented, amended, and promulgated 10 laws on defence and security, laying a firm legal foundation for building a revolutionary, regular, seasoned, gradually modern people’s Army and people’s Police; building a large and powerful reserve force and a solid and extensive Militia and Self-Defence Force.

Besides, in its 13^th tenure, the NA has assigned the NA Standing Committee to supervise many special issues, especially the issue on “Implementing policy, law on combining economic development and defence, security assurance in strategic areas (focusing on the Northwest, Central Highlands, and Southwest)”, which has helped the NA, the Government, and relevant organs detect shortcomings during the implementation of this important policy in order to make timely adjustments in legislative activities, supervision, and decision-making of relevant important issues.

The country’s reform led by the Party is moving forward to a new period, the country is having many opportunities; however, it is faced with a lot of challenges. In order to successfully fulfill the target of a socialist ruled-by-law State of the people, by the people, for the people, the NA should continue to carry out a comprehensive innovation in its organization and working method in light of the Constitution and newly-promulgated laws. In the time to come, it should focus on central tasks as follows:

First, successfully holding elections for the 14^th NA and People’s Councils of 2016-2021 tenure at all levels; establishing organs of State in accordance with law to be streamlined, meeting the requirements of their tasks in the time ahead.

Second, continuing to build and perfect law system in light of the Resolution No.48-NQ/TW by the Politburo and the 2013 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and institutionalizing views of the 12^th National Party Congress.

Third, enhancing the effectiveness of the NA bodies, improving the quality of legislative activities, review and decision-making of the country’s important issues, and supervising law implementation of state organs, political organization, social and people organizations and unions.

As for the armed forces, the NA would make every effort to create best conditions for them and continue to build and perfect law and policy system to build our revolutionary, regular, seasoned, gradually modern armed forces; building the strong all people defence and all people security to firmly protect the Homeland of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Nguyen Sinh Hung

Member of the Politburo

Chairman of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam