National Assembly of Vietnam

National Assembly Of Vietnam

The National Assembly (Vietnamese: Quốc hội nước Cộng hoà xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam) is Vietnam's legislative body.

The Constitution of Vietnam recognizes the assembly as "the highest organ of state power." The National Assembly, a 498-member unicameral body elected to a five-year term, meets twice a year. The assembly appoints the President (head of state), the Prime Minister (head of government), the Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam, the Head of the Supreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam (or 'Supreme People's Office of Supervision and Inspection'), and the 21-member Cabinet (the executive). Ultimately, however, the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) has great influence over the executive and exercises control through the 150-member Central Committee, which elects the 15-member Politburo at national party congresses held every five years. Members of the party hold all senior government positions.

Constitutionally, the National Assembly is the highest government organization and the highest-level representative body of the people. It has the power to draw up, adopt, and amend the constitution and to make and amend laws. It also has the responsibility to legislate and implement state plans and budgets. Through its constitution-making powers it defines its own role and the roles of the Vietnamese State President, the Vietnamese Government, the local people's councils and people's committees, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuracy. The assembly can elect and remove members of the Council of Ministers, the chief justice of the Supreme People's Court, and the procurator general of the People's Supreme Organ of Control. Finally, it has the power to initiate or conclude wars and to assume other duties and powers it deems necessary. The term of each session of the National Assembly is five years, and meetings are convened twice a year, or more frequently if called for by the Council of State.

Formerly, despite its many formal duties, the National Assembly existed mainly as a legislative arm of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). It converted Political Bureau resolutions into laws and decrees and mobilizes popular support for them. In this role, the National Assembly is led by the Council of Ministers acting through the Council of State and a variable number of special-purpose committees. Actual debate on legislation does not occur. Instead, a bill originates in the Council of Ministers, which registers the bill and assigns a key party member to present it on the floor. Before presentation, the member will have received detailed instructions from the party caucus in the assembly, which has held study sessions regarding the proposed legislation. Once the legislation is presented, members vote according to party guidelines.

However, recently, the National Assembly has gradually been more active and covered in Vietnam's political life. Although most of the legislations still originate from the government, such legislations are now more hotly debated in the National Assembly and attract more audiences. In 2009, among the much-debated legislations are the ones regarding Vietnam's bauxite project in the Central Highlands and Vietnam's plan for new nuclear power stations in Ninh Thuan.