As Hanoi’s preparation process for the upcoming general election remains on track, the city is determined to successfully host this important political event on May 23.

“This is particularly important as Hanoi is the country’s political-administrative hub with a population of around 10 million.”

Overview of the online conference from Hanoi. Photo: Kinhtedothi

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Council and head of the city’s Election Committee Nguyen Ngoc Tuan gave the remarks at an online national conference today [May 18], discussing the upcoming elections for deputies of the 15^th National Assembly and all-level People’s Council.

According to Tuan, the city estimates to have 5.4 million voters, 10 constituencies for National Assembly deputies; 30 for deputies of city-level People’s Council; 269 for district-level; 3,056 for commune-level and 4,831 polling stations.

For the 2021-2026 period, voters in Hanoi would elect 29 National Assembly deputies and 95 deputies for the city-level People’s Council.

“The city is a key target for hostile forces to undermine social-political order,” Tuan noted, adding the serious Covid-19 pandemic situation has also caused major impacts on the preparation process for the election.

“A  change in this election is the close cooperation among various agencies to verify the credibility of candidates,” said Tuan.

The city’s election head also informed the establishment of 15 task forces to oversee the preparation process in Hanoi along with efforts to prevent Covid-19 infections at 30 districts.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the election committee has frequently updated electoral rolls, including the review of voters being students, workers at industrial parks, or those being quarantined or isolated for high risk of infection.

“Online platforms have been used to facilitate meetings between candidates and voters. In certain constituencies, the local election committee has been using loudspeakers to read out action programs of candidates,” Tuan noted.

“More importantly, the city has mobilized the entire political system to deliver short bios of candidates to each family household in accordance with the law, so that they have a better understanding of candidates,” he continued.

Tuan said the time from now on until the election day is a decisive period, in which the city would step up its supervision effort to ensure the success of the election.

Setting up voting scenarios for over 4,800 polling stations

Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyen at a meeting yesterday called for local authorities to step up measures against each polling station, referring to certain localities are using QR Code for online health declaration and allocating isolation room in each constituency.

“There should be different plans on the election day to deal with four possible situations, including voting at fixed polling stations; at the home of people under self-quarantine; at quarantine zones, hospitals, health facilities; and areas subject to social distancing and isolation,” Tuyen informed.

“For hospital under quarantine, mobile ballot boxes would be delivered for patients to vote,” she continued, requesting election staffs to be trained thoroughly in terms of election procedures and measures against Covid-19.

On May 23, 2021, over 69 million voters nationwide will go to the polls to elect members of the 15th National Assembly and the People's Councils at all levels for the term 2021 - 2026.