Investments

Strategic Deployment of Provincial and City Standing Committee Members as New Commune and Ward Secretaries

"Not only department directors, provincial and municipal committee members, but even in critical areas, members of the Provincial Standing Committee can be appointed as heads of local party committees," said Mr. Phan Trung Tuan.

Administrator

18 September, 2025

On the morning of April 28, the Ministry of Home Affairs held a regular press conference to provide updates.

During the conference, Mr. Phan Trung Tuấn, Director of the Local Government Department, discussed the progress of the administrative unit reorganization plan. He stated that, to date, 52 provinces and cities subject to reorganization have essentially completed their proposals.

Similarly, local plans for reorganizing commune-level administrative units are also nearing completion.

Working day and night, even through holidays

“As of now, the Ministry of Home Affairs has received 20 proposal dossiers from local authorities. The Ministry, including the Minister and other leaders, is committed to working day and night, even through holidays, to ensure timely submission of these proposals to the Government, National Assembly, and the Standing Committee of the National Assembly,” said Mr. Tuấn. He added that the Ministry aims to submit all provincial and commune-level reorganization proposals to the Government by May 10.

Director of the Local Government Department, Phan Trung Tuấn. Photo: XĐ

The Government is expected to present all commune and provincial-level administrative reorganization dossiers to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly and the National Assembly for consideration by May 15.

Regarding the reduction in commune-level administrative units as directed by the Central Committee, Mr. Tuấn noted that only 20 proposal dossiers from local authorities have been received so far.

“The final number of remaining commune-level units will be determined once the Ministry of Home Affairs evaluates the proposals submitted by local authorities and presents them to the Government. Subsequently, the complete dossier will be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for a decision. Initially, based on local submissions, we anticipate a 60-70% reduction, leaving approximately 3,300 commune-level administrative units,” Mr. Tuấn explained.

Provincial Standing Committee Members May Serve as Commune-Level Secretaries

Addressing the standards for commune-level officials and civil servants post-reorganization, Mr. Phan Trung Tuấn mentioned that the Ministry of Home Affairs has advised the Government to submit a draft amendment to the Law on Officials and Civil Servants to the National Assembly. This draft includes a proposal for a unified public service system across all local political levels.

Once the Law on Officials and Civil Servants is enacted, the Ministry of Home Affairs will advise the Government to issue a decree outlining general criteria for the standards of official positions and titles, including those at the commune level. Currently, commune-level civil servant standards are governed by Decree 33/2023.

Regarding personnel arrangements, Mr. Tuấn shared that the Government Party Committee’s proposal was meticulously reviewed three times by the Politburo before being presented to the Central Committee.

For now, the current number of personnel will largely remain unchanged. District-level managers, civil servants, and public employees will transition to commune-level positions post-reorganization.

Mr. Tuấn highlighted that the personnel plan, as outlined in Conclusion 150 of the Politburo, adheres to the principle of “localities decide, localities act, and localities take responsibility.” While the Central Committee provides guiding principles, local authorities have full authority to determine commune-level personnel arrangements.

The Director of the Local Government Department also referenced information from senior Party and State leaders, indicating that Provincial or City Standing Committee members could be appointed as secretaries of new commune-level administrative units.

“Not only directors of departments or provincial/city committee members, but even Provincial Standing Committee members could be appointed to lead important local committees,” added Mr. Tuấn. He clarified that decisions regarding who will serve as secretaries, chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and heads of specialized agencies will be made by provincial authorities, who will also bear the responsibility.

Within five years, the Ministry of Home Affairs will issue new standards to determine the personnel quotas for each province and commune level.

Before introducing these new standards, the Ministry of Home Affairs will collaborate with the Central Organization Commission to review the total personnel quota across the national political system. This review will be reported to the Politburo for decision-making, as it falls within the Politburo’s jurisdiction.

ĐỨC MINH

– 12:45 28/04/2025