The Ministry of Home Affairs proposed to organize the provincial apparatus after the merger, with the grassroots level designed like a 'small district'.

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra - Photo: GIA HAN

The Ministry of Home Affairs is seeking comments on the draft Law on Organization of Local Government (amended). The draft law is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly at the upcoming 9th session.

The draft fundamentally amends regulations on the organization and operation of local governments to fully institutionalize policies and orientations in Party documents and resolutions, conclusions of the Politburo and Secretariat, and to specify the provisions of the 2013 Constitution (after amendment) to transform the local government organization model from the current 3 levels (including provincial, district and commune levels) to 2 levels (including provincial and grassroots levels).

Ensuring a streamlined, efficient, effective, and unified apparatus and the consistency and continuity of the state administration from the central to local levels.

Proposal for grassroots level including communes, wards, and special zones

The draft law consists of 7 chapters and 49 articles (1 article less than the Law on Organization of Local Government passed by the National Assembly at the recent extraordinary session). Of which, 9 articles are kept, 3 articles are removed; 2 new articles are added; 35 articles are amended and supplemented.

According to the draft proposal, in addition to inheriting the relevant provisions of the current Law on Organization of Local Government, the bill focuses on amending and supplementing 3 groups of issues.

Specifically, amend regulations related to the organization of administrative units and the two-level local government model.

The draft law amends and supplements regulations on the organization of administrative units and the two-level local government model (including provincial and grassroots levels, not district level) suitable for urban, rural, island areas, and special economic administrative units.

Accordingly, the provincial level remains as currently regulated, including provinces and centrally-run cities, but merges a number of provincial-level administrative units to ensure compliance with prescribed standards and at the same time to expand development space.

Reorganize current commune-level administrative units to form grassroots administrative units including communes, wards and special zones on islands, and abolish towns.

These established grassroots administrative units will have a natural area and population size of 300% or more of the commune-level standards according to current regulations.

Special economic-administrative units are established according to current regulations by decision of the National Assembly.

Special economic zones on islands, according to the draft law, will be established by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly in accordance with population size, natural area, geographical and residential conditions, socio-economic development requirements, and national defense and security.

The bill proposes to organize local governments in administrative units. In particular, local governments in rural areas include local governments in provinces and communes.

Local government in urban areas includes local government in centrally run cities and wards.

Local government in the island is the local government in the special zone.

The draft law stipulates that local governments at provincial and grassroots levels both organize People's Councils and People's Committees. People's Councils operate under a collective regime and make decisions by majority vote.

The People's Committee operates under the collective regime of the People's Committee combined with promoting the responsibility of the Chairman of the People's Committee.

Proposal for detailed provincial and grassroots government

To ensure that local authorities at all levels effectively perform their assigned tasks and powers, the bill amends and supplements regulations on the organizational structure of local authorities at provincial and grassroots levels.

According to the draft proposal, the provincial local government basically maintains the current regulations.

The draft law only increases the appropriate number of provincial People's Council delegates to match the merger of provincial administrative units and adds a provision that members of the provincial People's Council's committee can be full-time delegates as prescribed by the National Assembly Standing Committee to inherit the provisions in the National Assembly's resolutions on the organization of urban government.

For local authorities at the grassroots level, the draft law stipulates the organizational structure of the People's Council and People's Committee at the grassroots level (commune, ward, special zone) basically designed as for the People's Council and People's Committee at the district level (before dissolution) but on a smaller scale.

Accordingly, the maximum number of delegates to the People's Council at the grassroots level is 40 delegates (except for communes with isolated locations that do not undergo reorganization and have a small population, which basically remains the same as the provisions of current law).

The People's Council at the grassroots level has two committees: the legal committee and the socio-economic committee; the People's Committee at the grassroots level is organized with specialized agencies in appropriate numbers.

According to the draft submission, it is proposed that the People's Committee at the grassroots level have 5 specialized agencies, including an office (advising on the implementation of common tasks of the Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee at the grassroots level).

Economic department (for communes and special zones) or economic, infrastructure and urban department (for wards and special zones in Phu Quoc); internal affairs and justice department; cultural and social department and public administration service center.

The Bill inherits the current regulations on regular meetings of the People's Council at least twice a year and special meetings or meetings to resolve urgent matters.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bo-noi-vu-de-xuat-to-chuc-bo-may-cap-tinh-sau-sap-nhap-cap-co-so-thiet-ke-nhu-huyen-nho-20250324221325508.htm