Actress Hong Anh

Of 41 finalists, 22 attained 100 percent of confidence votes
at the last consultation meeting on April 14, including actress Hong Anh, HCM
City Party Secretary Le Thanh Hai, Vice head of HCM City National Assembly
delegation Tran Du Lich and Chief of HCM City Party Committee’s Education and
Information Department.

There are 12 candidates who are women, four independent
candidates (three businessmen and the director of the HCM City Institute for
Electric-Electronics-Information Technology), two ethnic minorities, nine
non-Party members and three candidates who are less than 35 years old.

In terms of education, 21 have university degrees and 20
have M.A and PhD degrees.

April 17 is the deadline for provinces to organize the last
consultation meeting. After that, final candidates will have 18 days for
canvassing.

There will be 93,800 voting precincts throughout the country
in the upcoming National Assembly and People’s Council election (2011-2016
term). The election will take place on Sunday, May 22.

Efforts to increase
female NA deputy numbers

The National Committee for the Advancement of Women (NCAW)
held a talk in Hanoi
on April 14 on dissemination campaigns aimed at raising the rates of female
National Assembly deputies and People’s Council representatives in the
2011-2016 term.

NCAW Chairman and Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social
Affairs Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that to boost the development of women, the
Party and the State have issued many policies and laws that create favorable
conditions for women to become involved in political activities in general, and
the NA and People’s Councils at all levels in particular.

However, the proportion of women engaged in politics has yet
to reach its potential, she said.

At present, the rate of women holding key positions in State
agencies is very low with one minister and 10 out of 100 deputy ministers.
Women only account for 4.67 percent of provincial People’s Council chairpersons
and 1.59 percent of provincial People’s Committee chairpersons.

According to Ngan, the biggest challenge for the
implementation of gender equality in the political sector in Vietnam is social preconceptions.
In addition, several different regulations for women and men on ages of
retirement and training limit women’s participation in aspects of social life.

Emphasizing the important and decisive role of the media in
changing public awareness of gender equality and the roles, positions and
contributions of women, Ngan asked news and press agencies to continue boosting
activities and messages in support for women during the elections.

News and press agencies should focus on disseminating
positive stories on women’s participation in leading and managing in order to
help raise the rate of female National Assembly deputies and People’s Council
representatives in the 2011-2016 term to 30 percent and above, she said.

Thai Thien