On February 5, continuing the 42nd session, the National Assembly Standing Committee gave opinions on the draft Law on Organization of Local Government (amended).
Presenting the Government's Proposal, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that regarding the local government organization model, the draft law proposes that for urban administrative units in centrally run cities, towns, provincial cities, cities under cities, and towns: a full local government organization including the People's Council (PC) and the People's Committee (PC).
In urban districts, wards and communes (including towns, provincial cities and cities under cities), there is no People's Council but only a People's Committee as the local administrative agency.
For rural administrative units, at the province, district, and commune levels (except for urban communes), the local government is fully organized, including the People's Council and the People's Committee.
Regarding the expansion of the scope of not organizing People's Councils in communes of towns, provincial cities, and centrally-run cities, Chairman of the Law Committee Hoang Thanh Tung said that the majority of opinions in the Standing Committee of the Law Committee believe that the provisions in the draft law are appropriate.
There are opinions suggesting that this expansion needs to be explained more thoroughly and convincingly because this is an issue that has a great impact and influence on the implementation of democratic institutions at the local level.
Speaking at the discussion, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh said that the model of local government organization with the draft law submitted by the Government will not organize People's Councils for communes in urban areas, communes in towns, communes in cities within cities... that is, communes in urban areas, rural areas but in urban areas will not organize People's Councils. This is a new issue, completely different from the present.
According to the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, this issue is also different from the Capital Law. The current Capital Law does not organize People's Councils of wards, while towns, districts, townships, cities within cities, and communes within urban areas still have People's Councils.
At the same time, according to Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh, regarding the organization and operation of the People's Committee, currently in our country, along with the Law on Organization of Local Government, pilot resolutions and the Law on the Capital, there is a model of 2 types of People's Committees.
This draft law is still presented in the direction of 2 types of People's Committees, however, the Law Committee has proposed that if a revolution in innovation is carried out, promoting responsibility and authority, then the People's Committee should be unified throughout the country as an administrative agency and operate under the head regime.
Chairman of the Ethnic Council Y Thanh Ha Nie Kdam expressed agreement with the bill's proposal not to establish People's Councils for wards and districts to reduce intermediaries and promote efficiency.
However, for the model in urban communes, it is necessary to review and clarify the political and legal basis, practice as well as assess the policy impact and legal consequences of this proposal.
Giving his opinion later, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man said that when the bill proposes not to organize People's Councils at the commune level in urban areas, it is necessary to evaluate what it would be like to have a People's Council and what it would be like without one.
Explaining later, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh said that the pilot of not organizing People's Councils at some levels of urban government in some localities "has been good so far".
According to the Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, promoting the responsibility of the Chairman of the People's Committee in urban government is also in line with international practice and has been successful in many urban governments.
