On the morning of April 28th, 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 planning.
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 planning 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 plans 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 plans to the Government by May 10th.
 Director of the Local Government Department, Phan Trung Tuấn. Photo: XĐ |
The Government is expected to present all commune and provincial-level administrative reorganization plans to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for review and decision by May 15th.
Regarding the reduction in commune-level administrative units as directed by the Central Committee, Mr. Tuấn noted that only 20 planning dossiers from local authorities have been received so far.
“The final number of commune-level units will be determined once the Ministry of Home Affairs reviews the plans submitted by local authorities and presents them to the Government, followed by submission to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for approval. 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 qualifications 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 includes a proposal for a unified civil 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 establishing general criteria for the qualifications of officials and civil servants, including those at the commune level. Currently, commune-level civil servant qualifications are governed by Decree 33/2023.
Regarding personnel arrangements, Mr. Tuấn noted that the Government Party Committee’s plan has undergone three thorough reviews 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 after 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.” The Central Committee provides guiding principles, while 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, provincial committee members, or 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 responsibility for these decisions.
Within five years, the Ministry of Home Affairs will issue new standards to determine personnel allocations for each province and commune level.
Before these new standards are implemented, the Ministry of Home Affairs will collaborate with the Central Organization Commission to review the total personnel within the national political system. This review will be reported to the Politburo for decision-making, as it falls under the Politburo’s authority.
ĐỨC MINH
– 12:45 28/04/2025
