Three Cases Where Disciplined Officials Can Be Considered for Higher Positions

The Standing Secretary of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, Tran Cam Tu, has signed and issued Regulation 377 of the Politburo on decentralized personnel management, planning, appointment, nomination, suspension, resignation, dismissal, and removal of officials.

Regarding personnel planning, Regulation 377 emphasizes the principle of planning only for higher positions. Each leadership or management position should have no more than three planned candidates, and each candidate should be planned for no more than three positions at the same level. Planning should not be conducted simultaneously with nomination or appointment proposals.

Notably, the Politburo provides clear guidelines for the appointment, placement, and utilization of officials with violations, shortcomings, disciplinary actions, or those under investigation, inspection, audit, complaint resolution, or accountability review.

Accordingly, officials may be considered for higher positions under three specific conditions, provided they meet the required standards and criteria.

First, officials with violations or shortcomings requiring self-criticism or remedial action but not severe enough for disciplinary measures.

Second, officials with violations or shortcomings necessitating accountability review or disciplinary action, but the competent authority decides against discipline or does not issue a disciplinary decision due to expired time limits (if the discipline would have been a reprimand), provided they have completed self-criticism and remedial actions as required by inspection, supervision, audit, or investigation conclusions.

Third, officials who have received a reprimand or warning and have completed their disciplinary period.

The Politburo advises party committees, organizations, and leadership bodies to objectively, cautiously, and thoroughly analyze and evaluate each case based on the cadre situation and task requirements before making decisions within their authority or reporting to higher authorities for consideration.

Factors to consider include the individual’s qualities, capabilities, reputation, and work outcomes; the nature and causes of violations or shortcomings (objective or subjective); and the impact, consequences, and any remedial actions taken.

For officials with information from competent agencies regarding personal responsibility in cases or conclusions under investigation, inspection, or audit but without official conclusions or recommendations for accountability, the Politburo instructs that planning be temporarily suspended.

The Politburo’s regulation also stipulates that officials under complaint resolution (with an established resolution team), disciplinary appeals, inspection for suspected violations, or disciplinary review; or those serving disciplinary periods, should not be planned.

Officials found by competent authorities to have violated political principles, party organizational rules, engaged in position or power abuse for personal gain, or breached role model responsibilities, thereby damaging the party’s reputation or causing public discontent, will also not be planned.

Officials planned for the next term must have at least two terms of service remaining

Regulation 377 outlines planned positions, including: Members of the Party Central Committee, Politburo, and Secretariat; positions managed by the Politburo and Secretariat; positions requiring consultation with central party committees or agencies; and positions directly managed by party committees, organizations, or leadership bodies.

The Politburo advises against proposing or approving plans for leadership positions in agencies, units, or localities with Politburo or Secretariat structures as outlined in the personnel plan for the National Party Congress.

The Politburo also sets clear planning methods, standards, conditions, and age requirements.

Officials planned for the next term must have at least two terms of service remaining, with a minimum of one full term (60 months). When annually reviewing and supplementing plans for the current term, candidates must have at least 60 months of service remaining.

According to the Politburo’s regulations, the structure and ratio of planned party committee members and leadership positions should aim for: At least 15% young officials (under 47 for central agencies; under 42 for provincial and communal levels), at least 25% female officials, 5-10% officials with science and technology expertise, and an appropriate ratio of ethnic minority officials based on location and field.

Officials automatically removed from planning include: Those appointed or elected to planned positions; those exceeding appointment age limits; those disciplined with a reprimand or higher, or deemed politically unfit for the position; those resigning, dismissed, or removed from positions; those deceased or retired.