Domestic lawyers and law makers on June 4 gathered at a symposium in Hanoi to swap views on practical and theoretical issues relating to the country’s referendum law which is being compiled by the Vietnam Lawyers Association (VLA).

At the event, issues that received focal attention include demands, orientations, opinions and basic solutions to build the referendum law. Participants also analysed and compared the referendum terms and other terms on elections and collecting public opinions.

They shared the same view that the future promulgation of the referendum law will provide a new legal foundation for realising direct democracy institutions which are one of the tools to continue expand democracy and great national unity.

Prof. Dr. Le Minh Tam, VLA Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Lawyers Association, described the referendum as a way to collect information reflecting the viewpoints, will and aspirations of people from all walks of life on issues of public concern. The results will serve as the foundation for policy making, he added.

Prof. Dr. Dao Tri Uc from the Hanoi National University shared his own studies on the various levels of public participation in referendums in different countries, suggesting that the referendum law in Vietnam should take the decisive expression of public opinion as its subject.

Representing the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, Prof. Dr. Truong Thi Hong Ha stressed that the referendum law must be a legal foundation for people to exercise their right to engage in State affairs and decide on the country’s important issues. Therefore, the law needs to have concrete regulations on referendum procedures to get the maximum involvement of the public, she added.

At the event, experts presented their research on skills involved in the referendum process based on the practical lessons and experience of foreign countries so that suitable models can be suggested for Vietnam.-VNA