May 20, 2002
By DAVID THURBER
The Associated Press
HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam's communist government said Sunday that nearly all the country's 50 million voters cast ballots for a new National Assembly that will finish revamping the country's legal system.
The Central Election Commission said voter turnout for the single-party elections was more than 99 percent. But many voters appeared unenthusiastic about the election in a nation where voting is mandatory, campaigning is restricted and supporting a multiparty system can lead to imprisonment.
On Sunday, loudspeakers relentlessly replayed a song urging citizens to honor the 112th anniversary of late revolutionary hero Ho Chi Minh's birth by voting.
"Uncle Ho was the founder of our party and of our revolutionary and democratic state, so an election right on Uncle Ho's birthday is highly important," party chief Nong Duc Manh said after voting at party headquarters.
Red banners and flags decorated Hanoi's streets, and officials closed some markets near polling stations to reduce congestion.
A total of 759 candidates - all approved by the Fatherland Front, a group controlled by the Communist Party - vied for the assembly's 498 seats. Results must be announced within a week.
The new assembly will finish reconstructing the country's legal system, ostensibly shifting Vietnam from a closed state led by decree to a nation the government says will be ruled by law.
"We need to build a strong and transparent government system, fighting against corruption and bureaucracy," Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said after voting.
Officials say the thousands of changes are also meant to make the legal system comply with a U.S. trade pact that went into force in December, and to help Vietnam join the World Trade Organization.
This year, 135 assembly candidates were not Communist Party members, up from 112 in the last election five years ago. Thirteen candidates were "self-nominated" - or independent - compared with 11 in 1997.
Fourteen candidates were entrepreneurs, a sign the party recognizes a need for business representation.
"There have been some changes in how candidates are selected and it is becoming more democratic," said Le Minh Hien, 75, a Hanoi woman who has voted in all 10 National Assembly elections since 1960. "There is more chance for people to express their grievances to candidates now."
By law, citizens must vote near their official residence, prompting many in the cities to return home. Often, though, relatives vote for entire families.
"I'm not even sure which candidates my father selected for me," said Lan, a 25-year-old student.
The Legislature has achieved some independence in recent years. It revises some bills while sending others back to government agencies for redrafting. Government ministers are questioned live on television.
Most bills, though, still are written by state agencies.