This is one of the key points discussed in the revised Law on Local Administration Organization project, presented to the National Assembly during the 9th extraordinary session on February 12th.
Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung authorized Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra to present the draft law. The minister emphasized that this law aims to fully institutionalize the Party’s directives and the provisions of the 2013 Constitution, promoting decentralization and creating greater autonomy for local governments under the principle of “local decision-making, local action, and local accountability.”
The primary goal of revising the law, according to the minister, is to continue modernizing local governance by enhancing decentralization between central government agencies and localities, as well as among different levels of local government. The law aims to streamline organizational structures for more efficient and effective operations while ensuring the unity and smooth functioning of the national administrative system from central to grassroots levels.
Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra presents the draft Law on Local Administration Organization revision to the National Assembly (Photo: Hong Phong).
The minister highlighted that the responsibilities and authorities of local governments at all levels will be clearly defined under the principle of “clear roles, clear tasks, and clear responsibilities,” avoiding overlapping or redundant tasks and authorities between different levels of local government and within local government agencies.
The draft law specifies the duties and powers of the People’s Council and People’s Committee in each administrative unit, aiming to delineate their respective roles and responsibilities. It also clarifies the tasks and powers of the collective People’s Committee and the individual Chairperson of the People’s Committee, increasing the responsibilities and authority of the Chairperson.
Regarding the structure of local government, Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra noted that the draft law maintains the current model of local government organization. This means that at all levels of administrative units, local government organizations will include both the People’s Council and the People’s Committee, except where specific regulations by the National Assembly stipulate otherwise.
This provision ensures the continued implementation of urban administration models in certain centrally-administered cities as per the Capital Law and relevant National Assembly resolutions.
From the perspective of the reviewing body, the Legal Committee supports the government’s proposal to retain the existing local government organizational model as specified in current laws and regulations regarding urban administration.
The National Assembly listens to the presentation of the draft Law on Local Administration Organization revision (Photo: Hong Phong).
In the short term, maintaining the stability of the local government organizational model allows time for relevant agencies to further study and refine the overall organizational structure of the political system to meet new development requirements before implementing comprehensive and synchronized reforms. This approach aims to establish a truly streamlined and suitable local government model at an appropriate time.
The Legal Committee recommends that the government comprehensively evaluate the organization of urban administrations in various localities and propose a suitable model for nationwide implementation in a coordinated and unified manner.
The draft law consists of 7 chapters and 50 articles (reduced from 143 articles in the current law) and is expected to be reviewed and approved by the National Assembly during the 9th extraordinary session.
