The National Assembly (NA) will elect the new NA Chair and NA Vice Chairs on July 22-23, the new President on July 25, and the new Prime Minister on July 26.

After the June 1 meeting on the results of the 13^th NA election, which took place on May 22, the NA Standing Committee discussed the preparation for the first session of the 13^th NA.

Accordingly, 11 out of 13.5 days of the first session will be spent on personnel and organization tasks.

The NA will have one day for group discussions and one day for a plenary session on the country’s social and economic situation and budget spending in the first half of the year. The NA will also spend one day on considering and approving the State Budget’s balance in 2009.

Some deputies said that the NA should shorten the time for the discussion of social-economic situation to focus on the personnel task, because up to two thirds of the NA deputies are new faces.

However, NA Chair Nguyen Phu Trong said that the NA needs to spend sufficient time for discussing the country’s social-economic situation.

NA Vice Chair, Uong Chu Luu said that inflation and rising prices are burning issue, which attract constituents’ attention, so the NA should focus on these issues.

Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Social Issues, Truong Thi Mai analyzed that the first NA session is the one for new NA deputies to introduce themselves to the people, so they need to consider the country’s social-economic situation. Moreover, this is a normal NA session so there is no reason for NA deputies to not consider the social-economic situation.

“New NA deputies must take action immediately, not spending time for familiarizing themselves with the new task. The NA’s operation should not be interrupted,” said Ksor Phuoc, Chair of the NA Committee for Ethnic Group Affairs.

The first session of the 13^th NA will open in the morning of July 21, and close on August 5.

On July 22-23, the NA will elect the NA Chair, Vice Chairs and members of the NA Standing Committee.

The newly-elected NA Chair will deliver the maiden speech on the afternoon of July 23, and begin chairing the subsequent meetings.

The NA will elect the State President on July 25, and the Prime Minister the next day.

After the NA approves the PM’s proposals on the appointment of new Deputy PM, Ministers and cabinet members, the newly-elected PM will deliver the inauguration speech.

NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized that the personnel task must be performed well, because this will be the decisive task for the upcoming tenure of the NA.

Chairman of the NA Committee for Defense and Security, Le Quang Binh noted that it is the most important, to supply sufficient information for deputies as the ground for them to elect key officials of the NA, the State and the Government.

At this session, the NA will not consider any bill. The two bills which were scheduled for being considered at the first session will be postponed to the second session.

The General Secretary of the Election Council, Pham Minh Tuyen said that the NA election result may be announced on June 3.

Le Nhung