The Vietnam Fatherland Front committees at various levels recently held their first consultative conference. The purpose was to agree on the structure, composition, and number of nominees from agencies, organizations, and units for the 16th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term.

At the central level, the Fatherland Front bloc and its member organizations were allocated 25 candidates for the national assembly. Additionally, there were two self-nominated candidates: one in Ho Chi Minh City and one in Ninh Binh.

The Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee recommended to the National Election Council and the National Assembly Standing Committee to increase the proportion of non-party member delegates compared to initial projections. They also suggested increasing the number of ethnic minority candidates to ensure the required election rate. Furthermore, the Presidium proposed reducing the number of candidates from executive agencies to allow for the inclusion of other, more suitable components, and requested a review of the surplus candidate numbers from central agencies as per regulations.

Delegates at the closing session of the 10th meeting, 15th National Assembly. Photo: National Assembly Portal.

For the People's Council elections, a total of 5.112 individuals were nominated through consultation, while the legally stipulated number of delegates to be elected is 2.554. The average nomination-to-election ratio stands at 2,04.

According to the resolution on the number of electoral units and delegate allocation, the nation has 182 electoral units for the 16th National Assembly. Hanoi has 11 electoral units with 32 delegates to be elected, an increase of three from the previous term. Ho Chi Minh City has 13 electoral units with 38 delegates, an increase of 8 from the previous term.

Other centrally-governed cities include: Hai Phong, Da Nang, Can Tho, and Hue, with 19, 14, 18, and 9 delegates to be elected, respectively. An Giang, following its merger with Kien Giang, has the highest number of delegates at 21. This is followed by Ninh Binh with 19, and Dong Nai, Dong Thap, and Vinh Long each with 18. The localities with the fewest delegates, 7 each, are: Cao Bang, Lai Chau, Lang Son, and Dien Bien.

The projected structure for the 16th National Assembly includes 500 delegates, comprising 217 central delegates and 283 local delegates. The central bloc's allocation covers: Party agencies, the State President's office, National Assembly agencies, the Government and its affiliated bodies, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Public Security. The local bloc comprises: key provincial and city leaders, full-time national assembly delegates within their respective delegations, representatives of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, religious delegates, the Military, the Police, People's Courts, and People's Procuracies.

Son Ha