National Assembly decides to 'maintain the local government model consisting of People's Council and People's Committee'

National Assembly deputies vote to pass the revised Law on Organization of Local Government

On the morning of February 19, the Law on Organization of Local Government (amended) was passed with 458/459 National Assembly deputies present voting in favor. The law consists of 7 chapters, 50 articles and will take effect from March 1.

The Law stipulates that administrative units of Vietnam include provinces and centrally run cities (provincial level); districts, towns, and cities (district level); communes, wards, and towns (commune level) and special administrative-economic units established by decision of the National Assembly.

Maintain the local government model to avoid deficits

Article 2 of the Law on the organization of local government in administrative units clearly states that local government in provincial, district and commune administrative units is a local government level consisting of the People's Council and the People's Committee.

In case the National Assembly has regulations on not organizing local government level, the local government in that administrative unit is the People's Committee.

The principle of operation of the People's Council is to work collectively and make decisions by majority. The People's Committee at the local government level operates under the collective regime of the People's Committee combined with the responsibility of the Chairman of the People's Committee.

The Law also clearly states that the organization of local government must be streamlined, efficient, effective, and efficient, meeting the requirements of professional, modern, and transparent local governance, ensuring accountability associated with a power control mechanism.

Work under the authority of local authorities must be decided by the locality, organized and implemented by the locality and self-responsible, in accordance with the spirit of the amended law.

Explaining the opinions of National Assembly deputies during the previous discussion in the hall, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that the Government proposed to maintain the current local government organization model to "avoid operational gaps", because we are assessing the overall organization model of the entire political system and will continue to make adjustments.

The level that solves the problem more effectively will be assigned to that level.

Another important content is in Chapter III of the Law, on the delimitation of authority of local authorities at all levels.

Accordingly, the delimitation of local government authority must ensure many principles such as ensuring no duplication or overlap in tasks and powers between central and local government agencies, between local governments at all levels and between agencies and organizations under local governments.

National Assembly deputies attend the 9th extraordinary session, morning of February 19

Along with the requirement to ensure publicity, transparency, accountability and effective implementation of power control, local authorities are proactive in proposing to competent authorities on decentralization and delegation of authority to competent agencies, organizations and individuals in the locality to perform tasks and powers in accordance with the capacity and practical conditions of the locality.

With the provisions on decentralization in Article 12, the Law clearly states that local authorities are autonomous in making decisions, organizing implementation and taking responsibility within the scope of their assigned tasks and powers; are decentralized and authorized to perform assigned tasks and powers according to regulations, except in cases where laws and resolutions of the National Assembly stipulate that decentralization and authorization are not allowed.

Regarding decentralization, the People's Committees at provincial and district levels are decentralized to specialized agencies and other administrative organizations under their own People's Committees or to the People's Committees and Chairmen of People's Committees at lower levels.

The decentralizing agency is responsible for the legality of decentralization and ensuring the necessary conditions for performing decentralized tasks and powers, and is responsible for monitoring, guiding, and inspecting the performance of decentralized tasks and powers.

Also according to the provisions of the law, the People's Committee at the provincial level is allowed to propose to the Government, Prime Minister, Minister, head of ministerial-level agency to decentralize or propose to the Government to request the National Assembly to decentralize to competent agencies, organizations, and individuals in the locality to perform tasks and powers in accordance with the capacity and practical conditions of the locality.

In the authorization, the People's Committee is authorized to the Chairman of the People's Committee at its level or the People's Committee, the Chairman of the People's Committee at a lower level. The Chairman of the People's Committee is authorized to a specialized agency, other administrative organization, public service unit under the People's Committee at the same level or the Chairman of the People's Committee at a lower level.

Delegation of authority to public service units is only applicable to tasks and powers aimed at increasing autonomy for public service units in unit administration and provision of public service services.

Chairman of the Law Committee Hoang Thanh Tung

Presenting the report explaining the reception of the previous report of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Chairman of the Law and Justice Committee said that there was a proposal to institutionalize the guiding viewpoint of "locality decides, locality acts, locality is responsible".

There are suggestions to add to the draft Law a requirement to promote digital transformation in the organization and operation of local governments to continue reforming administrative procedures, in line with current trends.

The National Assembly Standing Committee would like to accept and revise the provisions of the draft law to ensure adherence to the Party's guiding viewpoint on promoting decentralization and delegation of power between the Central and local governments and between local government levels.

This aims to promote local initiative and creativity, ensuring the motto "locality decides, locality does, locality takes responsibility"; "whichever level solves the problem more effectively, assign tasks and authority to that level", as well as the requirement to promote digital transformation.

HA (according to Dan Tri)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/quoc-hoi-chot-giu-nguyen-mo-hinh-chinh-quyen-dia-phuong-gom-hdnd-va-ubnd-405558.html