Roundup: Election of Vietnamese communist party leadership raises people's hopes

The 12th National Party Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) on Thursday concluded its meeting in Vietnam's capital Hanoi with a new CPV leadership team being introduced.

During the 12th National Party Congress, a new CPV Central Committee (CPVCC) was elected with 200 members, including 180 official and 20 alternate members. At its first plenary session on Wednesday, the 12th CPVCC elected a new 19-member Politburo and 3-member Secretariat.

The Central Inspection Commission was also elected with 21 members.

Meanwhile, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was re-elected for another term.

In an interview with Xinhua in Hanoi, Nguyen Thi Huong, a 56-year-old citizen said that, "The re-election of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will help maintain stability within the party and help ensure stable economic development."

"The General Secretary has done very well with regards to anti-corruption work. I hope that the General Secretary will continue making wise decisions in terms of the economy, in order to make Vietnam a strong and powerful country," a reader named Duc remarked on the local Tuoi Tre (The Youth) online newspaper.

Vu Ngoc Hoang, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda and Education Committee's Standing Board, told local media earlier this week that the new CPVCC shows there has been progress in democracy within the party and congress.

"Besides the renovation and rejuvenation, the congress still pays attention to inheritance," he said.

Similarly, a reader named Pham Manh Khoi posted on the Dan Tri online newspaper that the election show democratic results.

"The fact that several ministers or heads of several sectors failed to be elected is normal. It proves that deputies have higher requirements for heads of key sectors of the country," Khoi said.

According to the list of new CPVCC members, there are no representatives from the ministry of education or ministry of health.

"The new leadership of the party has many new faces, especially young faces. The problem now is how to change their mindset in order to meet the expectations of the Vietnamese people," Khoi added.

The reader wrote, "I expect that there will be strong determination for economic renovation and effective anti-corruption measures. I hope that all obstacles hindering Vietnam's development will be removed so that the country can catch up with the global growth momentum."

Also focusing on anti-corruption, reader Le Thang commented on Tuoi Tre that, "I hope that the General Secretary will continue his efforts in the fight against corruption."

According to the list of the 12th CPVCC members, 19 people are under 45 years old. The two youngest official members are both 40 years old, while the youngest alternate member is 37 years old.

"There are many young members in the new CPVCC. This is a turning point in the development of the party. I hope that the young CPVCC members will follow the good traditions of previous generations to build a strong party. It's also my wish that the new leadership of the party will enact more policies to gain the trust of the people" Truong Van Chien, a 37-year-old office worker in Hanoi told Xinhua.

As many as 1,510 delegates representing over 4.5 million Vietnamese communist party members attended the 12th National Party Congress, which lasted from Jan. 21 to Jan. 28.

The election of the new party leadership will pave the way for the election of the country's key leadership positions, including President, Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Assembly.

According to a list announced at the 12th National Party Congress on Thursday, Vietnamese Minister of Public Security, Tran Dai Quang, Vice Chairwoman of National Assembly, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and Deputy Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, are included in the 19-member Politburo.

Tran Dai Quang was nominated to run for the position of Vietnamese President by the communist party, while Nguyen Xuan Phuc was nominated for the Prime Minister position.

Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, meanwhile, was nominated for Chairwoman of Vietnam's National Assembly, said Vu Trong Kim, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee earlier this week. Endit