Socialist democracy is “the nature of our regime, both the goal and the driving force of national development”. The election of deputies to the 16^th National Assembly (NA) and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026 - 2031 term was a great success, opening a new era of national development. This major political event vividly demonstrates the essence and superiority of the socialist democratic regime in our country; in this regard, the propositions, namely “democracy”, “the people as masters”, and “all power belongs to the people” are clearly and vividly expressed.

Voters of An Lac commune, Bac Ninh province at the election (photo: Internet)

However, hostile forces and opportunists at home and abroad regard this as a “golden opportunity” for sabotage. Their sabotage manifests itself in two closely interrelated directions.

The first direction is the distortion of principles and regulations on the structure and composition of NA deputies, especially on the deputies who are ethnic minorities, religious followers, or non-Party members, in order to incite comparisons, provoke opposition, and sow division and disunity in society. At the same time, they smear the honour and dignity of candidates, fabricate personal scandals, exaggerate shortcomings, and even concoct “black dossiers” to attack the candidates. Through these actions, they attempt to spread suspicion, create internal divisions, and undermine the people’s trust in the Party and State. They also establish numerous groups masquerading as “democracy” or “civil society” organisations to praise and promote individuals displaying political opportunism to stand for election, while deliberately inciting voters to boycott the election or cross out all names on the ballot.

The second direction is that hostile forces repeatedly recycle the worn-out distortion that the election in Vietnam is merely like “the Party nominates, the people elect”, claiming that the election is just a “formality”, “lacking transparency”, “lacking democracy”, “having no democracy”, or “violating democracy”. They then assert that the slogan “Festival of the Entire Nation” is only a populist slogan without substance. According to them, the election “cannot be called a festival because there is no democracy”.

Those distortions and acts of sabotage are disseminated widely via media and social networks, coupled with attempts to steer our country’s election and democracy towards a Western “model”. This is truly a dangerous trick, easily leading to misunderstanding, confusion, and misperception regarding democratic values; it may also cause ideological wavering and weaken confidence among a section of cadres and citizens in the election results, elected deputies, and the role and authority of the NA and People’s Councils at all levels in the coming term.

It can be affirmed that such allegations are completely false, deliberately distorting the electoral process and procedures, denying the results of the election of deputies to the 16^th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026 - 2031 term, as well as the achievements of democracy in our country.

First, it is impossible to claim that our election is like “the Party nominates, the people elect” or to smear candidates’ honour when they have been thoroughly screened, selected, and evaluated in a transparent, public, democratic manner, and fully met the necessary qualities, competence, and conditions of a deputy. The right to stand for election is guaranteed by law and is accompanied by strict standards in terms of political quality, morality, competence, and prestige. Citizens have the right to nominate themselves or be nominated by organisations. Candidates must undergo careful, transparent, public, democratic screening, selection, and evaluation to ensure that those truly virtuous and capable are chosen. The democratic consultation process and the collection of voters’ opinions at places of residence and work serve as necessary democratic and legal “filters” to select the most deserving individuals. Regulations stipulating that citizens aged 18 and above have the right to vote and those aged 21 and above have the right to stand for election ensure citizens’ broad, open, transparent, democratic participation. Each candidate, when standing for election, must present their action programme and commitments to voters; all candidates have equal legal rights and obligations in campaigning and running for election. Each voter’s ballot has equal value, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, or social status. Moreover, to ensure absolute legal authenticity, for the first time candidacy dossiers were registered and submitted online via the National Public Service Portal using level-2 electronic identification (VNeID); meetings between candidates and voters were widely conducted in both direct and online formats, marking an important step forward in maximising technological support for the people’s democratic rights.

In reality, the election of deputies to the 16^th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026 -2031 term is not only a technical procedure, but also a process of realising the people’s right to mastery, contributing to consolidating the state apparatus in a streamlined, efficient, effective direction. Hence, allegations that the election in Vietnam is decided by “the Party’s nomination” or do not reflect the people’s will and aspirations are groundless, contrary to Vietnamese law, and deliberately distort the reality and substance of the election in our country.

Candidate lists published at Dong Loc commune, Ha Tinh province (photo: Internet)

Second, it is impossible to claim that election in our country “lacks democracy” or “violates democracy” when the election is conducted safely under strict principles, democratic procedures, in accordance with the law. In the electoral process, democratic regulations and institutions, as well as the motto “the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect, the people supervise, the people benefit”, were vividly, concretely implemented. Universal suffrage, equality, direct voting, and secret ballot are fundamental principles of the election, and they were widely disseminated and strictly implemented throughout the electoral process. The entire process - from the introduction of candidates, consultation procedures, and the compilation of voter lists to voting, vote counting, and the announcement of results - was organised openly, transparently, and democratically under the supervision of competent agencies and the people. Election councils at all levels, along with local party committees and authorities, carefully prepared for the election, ensuring safety, order, and thrift. The operation of the two-tier local government model and the adoption of digital transformation brought about clear efficiency, meeting very important criteria: timeliness, accuracy, transparency, safety, and democracy for the election.

Ballots truly embody the trust and expectations of voters and serve as a reminder of the responsibilities and mission entrusted to those elected. Among the 500 deputies elected to the 16^th NA, “there are 150 women (30%), 76 ethnic minorities (15.2%), 18 non-Party deputies (3.6%), and 33 deputies under the age of 40 (6.6%)”. With these proportions, the elected NA is a concentrated expression of the great national unity bloc, deeply reflecting the superior nature of the socialist democratic regime in our country, which cannot be distorted or denied by any hostile force. International media have also highly appreciated the election, noting that the general election in Vietnam has introduced many innovations, demonstrating “improvements” in organisation and procedures.

Third, it is impossible to claim that the election do not reflect the people’s will and aspirations or that the slogan “Festival of the Entire Nation” is merely populist rhetoric, when the voter turnout rate was extremely high and voters demonstrated a strong sense of responsibility and pride to select truly outstanding and deserving deputies. According to the 2013 Constitution: “The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the country where the people are the masters; all the state power belongs to the people.” That power is exercised by the people through ballots electing their representatives to the NA and People’s Councils at all levels. The election clearly proved that constitutional principle. Voters nationwide exercised their right to mastery, selecting exemplary and deserving deputies to represent their will and aspirations in the highest state power body and local state power bodies. Each ballot is not merely an individual choice, but also a deposit of trust in the nation’s future development. Each citizen (voter), by participating in the election, exercises their socio-political power and truly enjoys the value of independence and freedom: the freedom to choose and elect worthy individuals to represent them in national affairs without any force capable of coercion or bribery.

“Festival of the Party’s Will and the People’s Heart”, “Festival of the Entire People”, and “Festival of the Entire Nation” are substantive expressions with sacred significance, profoundly reflecting the democratic nature of our regime as displayed by the election. They are absolutely not slogans or populist rhetoric as distorted by hostile forces. In practice, every citizen (voter) participated in the election enthusiastically and confidently, freely exercising their obligations, responsibilities, and rights to mastery through the ballot. The election was conducted in a democratic and open manner, faithfully reflecting the will and aspirations of people from all walks of life, truly becoming a democratic festival of the Vietnamese people. Voters across the country fully exercised their right to mastery, freely, directly selecting exemplary deputies who represent their will and aspirations in the NA and People’s Councils at all levels, thereby contributing to perfecting the state apparatus and laying a solid foundation for national development. The spirit of mastery and awareness of citizenship rights have been closely linked with the aspiration for national development. The nationwide voter turnout reached the highest level ever recorded (99.70%), with many localities approaching 100%; no electoral unit had to conduct a re-vote; all these facts demonstrate the great concern and responsibility of voters nationwide towards the country’s major political event.

If there was “no democracy”, if the election was not organised in accordance with democratic principles and procedures, there could not have been the joyful atmosphere and enthusiasm of the entire population, or the pride and voluntary participation of more than 79 million voters across the country, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or social status throughout the electoral process. Major international news agencies such as Reuters, AP, and DW emphasised the scale and results of the election with the participation of tens of millions of voters, in the context of a rapidly growing economy and major reforms being promoted. The transparent and fair electoral system, along with the lively, enthusiastic, and open electoral atmosphere, demonstrates the “consensus” of the Vietnamese people. The Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) clearly stated that the election “constitutes an opportunity for nearly 79 million voters nationwide to exercise their voting rights and obligations, thereby selecting exemplary and deserving deputies to represent their will and aspirations”.

The election of deputies to the 16^th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026 - 2031 term was a great success. The elected NA and People’s Councils truly represent a vivid image of the great national unity bloc and the unity between the Party’s will and the people’s heart, symbolising the intellectual strength of the entire Vietnamese people.

The election results reflect the steadfast trust of the people in the socialist regime and in the country’s development in a new era; they are a concentrated manifestation of the essence and superiority of the socialist democratic regime in our country. This is a powerful reality that refutes all distortions.

Associate Prof. NGUYEN MANH HUONG, PhD