On the morning of February 26, the National Election Council (NEC) held a nationwide online conference to deploy preparations for the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and deputies to People's Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term. The conference was connected online to 34 provincial-level venues and 3,321 commune-level venues nationwide
Overview of the conference at the Dak Lak provincial venue.
The conference was chaired by Comrade Tran Thanh Man, Member of the Politburo, Chairman of the National Assembly, and Chairman of the National Election Council. Deputy Chairpersons of the NEC attending included Comrade Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Member of the Politburo, Central Committee Secretary, and Chairwoman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Comrade Vo Thi Anh Xuan, Central Committee Secretary and Vice President; Comrade Nguyen Hoa Binh, Standing Deputy Prime Minister; and Comrade Nguyen Thi Thanh, Member of the Central Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly, and member of the NEC.
At the central venue, attendees included NEC members, representatives of the Government,representatives of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, leaders of central ministries, agencies, and mass organizations, and leaders of the NEC's sub-committees.
Delegates attending at the Dak Lak provincial venue.
Participants at the Dak Lak venue included Comrade Luong Nguyen Minh Triet, Member of the Central Committee, Provincial Party Secretary, and Head of the provincial Steering Committee for the election; Comrade Cao Thi Hoa An, Member of the Central Committee, Standing Deputy Provincial Party Secretary, Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Council, and Chairwoman of the Provincial Election Committee; Comrade Huynh Thi Chien Hoa, Deputy Provincial Party Secretary; Comrade Y Giang Gry Nie Knong, Deputy Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; members of the Provincial Party Standing Committee; the provincial Steering Committee for the election and the Provincial Election Committee; leaders of the Provincial People's Council, People's Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front; and heads of relevant provincial departments and agencies.
According to the report at the conference, preparations for the elections have been carried out proactively and methodically, in full compliance with the requirements of the Politburo, the Secretariat and the National Election Council. Personnel work for the three consultative conferences was prepared carefully, ensuring appropriate structure, composition and standards; the quality of the candidate pool has been enhanced and the surplus of candidates is reasonable and in accordance with regulations.
Regarding candidates for the National Assembly, based on the results of the third consultative conference on February 14, 2026, the NEC issued Resolution No. 151 announcing the list of 864 official candidates for deputies to the 16th National Assembly across 182 electoral units. Of these, 217 candidates were nominated by the central authorities and 647 were nominated by localities, representing a ratio of 1.73 candidates per seat to be elected (including 4 self-nominated candidates, accounting for 0.46%); the surplus complies with regulations and the prescribed guidance on composition and components.
The preparation, verification and public posting of voter lists have been implemented rigorously and in accordance with regulations. According to reports from all 34 provinces and centrally-run cities, the country has a total of 73,457,255 registered voters who will vote at 72,195 polling stations. Voter lists were publicly posted at commune-level People's Committee offices, community houses in residential areas, neighborhoods, hamlets, villages and other public locations within each polling area within the statutory deadline.
Security, public order and social safety measures have been deployed in a coordinated and proactive manner; protection plans for the election, particularly for information technology systems and cyberspace, were prepared well in advance. Citizen reception and the receipt and handling of petitions have been conducted seriously, objectively and within the proper authority. Information and publicity work has been implemented methodically, with focus and creativity, contributing to unified understanding, social consensus and voter confidence in the election.
At the request of the Election Committees of 11 provinces and centrally-run cities, the NEC issued a document permitting 218 polling stations in those localities to conduct early voting.
Comrade Tran Thanh Man, Member of the Politburo, Chairman of the National Assembly, Chairman of the National Election Council spoke at the conference.(screen capture)
n his closing guidance, Comrade Tran Thanh Man praised the proactive and decisive actions of ministries, agencies and localities. Comrade Tran Thanh Man warned against complacency and urged strict adherence to Directive No. 46 and Conclusion No. 03 dated February 23, 2026 of the Secretariat. He called for well-organized upcoming meetings with voters that ensure democracy, equality and transparency. Comrade Tran Thanh Man also requested a thorough review of voter lists to ensure no voter is omitted. Furthermore, he directed intensified information and publicity before, during and after the election; absolute assurance of security and safety to prevent hostile acts. Finally, Comrade Tran Thanh Man emphasized strict, objective management of voting and vote counting, and the public announcement of election results before March 25, 2026 in accordance with the schedule.
