Chairman of Hà Nội People's Council Nguyễn Ngọc Tuấn addresses at the first meeting of Hà Nội’s 16th People’s Council for the term 2021-2026. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội’s People’s Council for the 2021-2026 term had its first meeting on Wednesday and decided on the holders of the top positions for the city People’s Council and People’s Committee.

At the meeting, the chairman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyễn Ngọc Tuấn was re-elected with votes from 92 out of 94 deputies present.

Tuấn, born in 1966, from the northern province of Hải Dương, was first elected as the chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Council in December 2020. Before, he was the vice-chairman of the council from April 2016.

Between April 2014 and March 2016, he was vice-chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee. Before that, he was among the top leaders of Hà Nội Housing Development and Investment Corporation (HANDICO).

Tuấn has a doctorate in economics and previously worked as a water resource engineer.

Vice chairwoman of Hà Nội’s 15th People’s Council Phùng Thị Hồng Hà was also re-elected to her post, while Phạm Quý Tiên, the secretariat of Thạch Thất District’s Party Committee, was also elected as vice-chairman.

Chairman of Hà Nội People’s Committee Chu Ngọc Anh was also re-elected with votes from 92 out of 94 deputies at the meeting.

In September 2020, Deputy Secretary of the Hà Nội Party Committee Chu Ngoc Anh was first elected as the chairman of the city People’s Committee. The election took place during the 16th session of the municipal People’s Council for the 2016 to 2021 tenure.

That session was held to dismiss Nguyễn Đức Chung, who was suspended from duties on August 11 for 90 days pending an investigation into his involvement in a number of criminal cases.

The Hà Nội People’s Court on December 11 sentenced Chung, former Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, to five years in prison for “appropriating confidential State documents”.

In March this year, Chung faced new charges for his involvement in the purchase of the water cleaning agent Redoxy 3C to purify lakes in the city that ran counter to regulations and caused losses to the State.

Speaking at the meeting on Wednesday, Secretary of the city Party Committee Đinh Tiến Dũng said the meeting took place when the city was effectively implementing twin tasks – to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and boost socio-economic development.

Dũng said that improving the performance of People’s Councils at all levels and National Assembly deputies were key measures to realise goals the city’s Party Committee had set to boost the city’s development and positions in national/international stages.

Dũng said that the city’s new People’s Council would decide on urgently important issues of the city including adjustments in collecting funds for the State budget when an urban administrative model is piloted or special mechanisms for the city in COVID-19 prevention and control.

On May 23, Hà Nội held the elections of deputies to People’s Councils at all levels and the 15th National Assembly for the 2021-2026 term. As many as 99.16 per cent of eligible voters in the city tuned out to cast ballots, electing 29 National Assembly deputies and 95 deputies for the municipal People’s Council, 1,052 deputies for district/town People’s Councils and 10,593 deputies for commune/ward People’s Councils. —  VNS