National Assembly chairman Nguyen Phu Trong addresses the plenary session’s closing meeting Saturday

The National Assembly, Vietnam’s legislature, decided Saturday to shelve a trial plan to allow direct elections for the post of People’s Committee Chairman at the commune level as it wrapped up the autumn session.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front – a political coalition of government and non-government groups – holds the power to select candidates at the commune level and citizens can only vote for candidates nominated by the Front.

But at the National Assembly (NA) plenary session’s final meeting Saturday, the NA Standing Committee said the body needed more time to consider the plan and postponed voting on the matter.

In another major move, an overwhelming majority of legislators Saturday passed a resolution to eliminate People’s Councils, akin to local legislatures, at district and ward levels on a trial basis.

Under the resolution, the People’s Councils in certain piloted districts and wards will close beginning April 25 next year. The government will submit the list of districts and wards chosen for the pilot plan to the NA for ratification at a later date.

People’s Councils vote for members of People’s Committees, which essentially act as local cabinets.

Alongside the measure, the house extended current local committee terms for two extra years – through 2011 – giving the NA time to decide how future committee members would be appointed.

At the month-long session from October 16 to November 15, lawmakers passed eight bills. Among them were the amended Nationality Law which allows dual citizenship for foreign expats in Vietnam and overseas Vietnamese as well as the amended Law on Special Consumption Tax.

During the course of the session, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and seven ministers took questions from NA representatives relating to socio-economic development in Vietnam.

The NA lowered several socioeconomic targets proposed by the government, beginning with next year’s growth rate, which was pegged at 6.5 percent, as opposed to the earlier target of seven percent.

Plans to limit inflation to below 15 percent next year were also approved by the house.

The NA also passed another resolution to strengthen supervision of state-owned corporations and economic groups and better monitor the use of state funds and assets.

Food hygiene and safety management would also come under scrutiny, the resolution said.

The Vietnamese parliament convenes its plenary month-long sessions twice a year. This year the first session began in May.

Reported by Bao Van