New National Assembly to convene first session

Hanoi (VNA) – The 14th National Assembly will convene its first session in Hanoi from July 20-29, Vice Secretary General of the NA Le Minh Thong told a press conference in the capital city on July 19.

The opening and closing sessions will be televised nationwide.

Legislators will spend six days discussing and deciding on high-ranking personnel for the State.

During the meeting, the NA will hear the National Election Council’s report on the outcomes of the election of deputies to the 14th NA and the People’s Councils at all levels for 2016-2021 and the inspection of elected deputies’ eligibility.

The NA will elect the NA Chairperson and Vice Chairs, members of the NA Standing Committee, the Chair of the NA Ethnic Council, the heads of the NA committees, and the NA Secretary General.

The lawmakers will also elect the State President and Vice President, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court and the State Auditor General.

They will also decide on the apparatus of the government, approve the appointment of Deputy Prime Ministers, Ministers and other government members, Vice Chairs and members of the National Defence and Security Council.

The remaining two days will be spent deciding on the country’s key issues, including the government’s report on socio-economic development and State budget for the first half of this year, solutions to the socio-economic development and State budget for the second half of this year, approval of the 2014 State budget estimate and the NA’s resolutions on the programme on building laws and ordinances, the NA’s supervision programme for 2017 and the establishment of specialised inspection groups.

Clarifying the recent disapproval of the NA status of Trinh Xuan Thanh - Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of southern Hau Giang province and of Nguyen Thi Nguyet Huong, before the opening of the session, NA Secretary General Nguyen Hanh Phuc said at the NA’s seventh session, all members of the National Election Council cast ballots disapproving of Thanh’s deputy position over his violations of the law.

Huong, who was a deputy of the 12th and 13th NA and member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, was found to have violated the Law on Vietnamese Nationality.

About the delayed enforcement of the Criminal Code, Phuc said the legislature is willing to take responsibility for the issue.

In the foreseeable future, the NA will consider the responsibility of relevant agencies and individuals over the issue, he said.

Phuc also answered reporters’ queries regarding the rituals of being sworn-in to the NA and about law-making, among others.-VNA