HCM CITY – Four out of 25 self-nominated candidates running for seats in the HCM City’s People’s Council for 2016 – 2021 were approved to the shortlist of 175 qualified candidates during the third consultative conference organised in HCM City on April 17.

Trần Quang Thắng, head of HCM City Institute for Economic Research and Management, along with Nguyễn Thị Huyền, a worker at Cầu Tre Food Processing Company, lawyer Hà Hải, head of Hà Hải Law Firm, and Lê Nguyễn Minh Quang, general director of Bachy Soletanche Việt Nam Company, are the four approved self-nominated candidates.

After the conference, organised by the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee in HCM City, the shortlisted self-nominees have been included in the list of 175 candidates to be submitted to the HCM City Election Committee and National Election Council.

Of the shortlisted candidates, 23 are not members of the Việt Nam Communist Party, 75 are women, 32 are below 35 years old, 9 belongs to minority ethnic groups, and 11 represent various religions.

According to Vũ Thành Lưu, vice chairman of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee in HCM City, the initial list of candidates had 203 people, including 25 self-nominees. However, ten self-nominees chose to withdraw before the conference was organised on April 17.

36 candidates ready for NA seats running

The third consultative conference organised in HCM City on Saturday, April 16, chose 36 candidates to run in the upcoming May national elections.

The conference, organised by the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee in HCM City, selected the list of 36 candidates to run for seats in the 14^th National Assembly. The list will be submitted for approval to the HCM City Election Council and National Election Council.

All of the participants at the conference approved the list. The list includes five candidates who are not members of the Việt Nam Communist Party, 15 are female, six candidates are below 40 years old, three belong to minority ethnic groups, and two represent different religions.

Of the 36 candidates, two are self-nominated. They are Lâm Thiếu Quân, general director of Tiền Phong Technology Company, and Nguyễn Thị Hồng Chương, a teacher at Tân Túc High School in Bình Chánh District.

Nguyeễn Hòang Năng, chairman of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee in HCM City, said there was no discrimination between those candidates nominated by the city’s agencies and the self-nominated candidates.

The city government expects to have more self-nominated candidates running for the 14^th National Assembly. However, the level of credibility, confidence, and quality of some self-nominated candidates did not meet the regulations. Therefore, only two self-nominated candidates were selected.

At the last consultative conference, 90 candidates were introduced. Of these, 42 were nominated by agencies and organisations in the city, and 48 were self-nominated candidates.

After the second consultative conference, eight self-nominated candidates withdrew from the shortlist, leaving 82 candidates, including 40 self-nominated candidates who had to undergo a recent vote of confidence.

According to the allocation from the National Assembly’s Standing Committee, HCM City is to elect 30 deputies to the 14th National Assembly.

The election of deputies to the 14th NA and all-level People’s Councils for the 2016-2021 session will occur on May 22, which is a Sunday, as called for by law. — VNS