The National Election Council holds a press conference in Hà Nội on March 21 to announce the resolution on the election results and the list of elected deputies to the 16th National Assembly. VNA photo

HÀ NỘI — Although the resolution on the results of the 16th National Assembly (NA) election and the list of elected deputies was officially announced on the afternoon of March 21, hostile elements had already prepared articles in advance – even before voters nationwide went to the polls on March 15, using keywords such as unfair, undemocratic and lacking transparency.

Their ultimate aim is not only to smear the electoral process or distort voting results, but also to incite social disorder, erode public trust in the Party and the State, and undermine the great national solidarity bloc.

It comes as no surprise that ill-intentioned forces abroad and discontented individuals at home have reacted negatively to the official results of the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 tenure. They are unwilling to accept the evident outcomes shaped by the National Election Council and tens of millions of voters.

According to preliminary reports from 34 provinces and cities nationwide, approximately 76.198 million out of nearly 76.424 million eligible voters cast their ballots, representing a turnout of 99.7 per cent, the highest ever recorded in history.

Out of the 500 deputies elected to the 16th NA, 214 were candidates nominated by central agencies and organisations.

The composition of the new legislature has seen a reduction in the number of deputies concurrently holding positions in executive and judicial bodies, alongside an increase in full-time legislators. Notably, the proportion of expected full-time deputies reaches 40 per cent, the highest level to date, up 1.4 per cent compared to the 15th NA tenure, 5.5 per cent to the 14th, 7.2 per cent to the 13th and 10.6 per cent to the 12th.

Party and State leaders were elected as NA deputies across various constituencies nationwide, demonstrating strong trust from voters.

Nguyễn Hữu Đông, member of the NEC and deputy head of its Personnel Sub-committee, affirmed that the election of 500 NA deputies, 2,552 members of provincial-level People’s Councils and 72,437 others of commune-level People’s Councils demonstrates that personnel preparations were conducted thoroughly, democratically and in accordance with the law.

Hostile elements turn a blind eye to the truth proven through the election process and results: the political awareness and sense of civic responsibility of voters have been enhanced; the leadership and guidance by Party committees and administrations at all levels have been implemented decisively and synchronously; and information and communications work has been carried out widely and effectively. The principles of democracy, openness and transparency were ensured throughout the entire election process, from planning the structure, composition and number of candidates; consultation and gathering of voter opinions; nomination of candidates; and election campaigning to the organisation of voting and vote counting, thereby selecting qualified and deserving representatives.

Regardless of the positive changes in Việt Nam’s socio-economic life and the rigorous conduct of the election process, hostile forces continue to deny the results with vague arguments lacking concrete evidence. Some have even resorted to farcical acts, issuing online calls to sign a joint statement rejecting the election results.

Although these are isolated voices running counter to the prevailing trend in Việt Nam, it remains necessary to clearly identify the tactics and objectives of those deliberately distorting the election results.

Those tactics include claiming that the election results were pre-arranged and that voting was a mere formality, aiming to trigger doubts about electoral transparency and erode public trust in the Party and the regime.

Another is to distort the truth about the five core steps in the consultation process for nominating candidates to the NA and People’s Councils at all levels. Its objective is to attack the Party’s leadership, deny the democratic nature of the electoral system, and sabotage the country’s chosen development path.

Muddying the waters is another tactic, exploiting social media to spread misinformation and exaggerate isolated incidents to create a bandwagon effect and confusion among the public. The objective is to incite division, social instability and provoke discontented individuals and those lacking a firm political stance.

Repeating fabricated claims about negative phenomena until falsehoods are perceived as truth is also a tactic used by hostile forces. They exaggerate minor issues into major ones with a view to distorting perceptions of Việt Nam’s election process in particular and the country as a whole in the international arena. VNA/VNS