At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Home Affairs on the morning of April 28, Director of the Department of Local Government Phan Trung Tuan informed about some contents on the progress of work to put the 2-level local government model into operation as well as the plan to arrange new commune-level personnel after the arrangement.

Expected to merge about 3,300 commune-level administrative units

Mr. Tuan said that the work is currently being carried out by the agencies very vigorously and urgently. Mr. Tuan assessed that this is a very large project, with the greatest impact and influence on the locality so far.

“It can be said that we will have a new set of maps for the whole country and each locality, according to the roadmap, it will be approved next June and take effect from July 1.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has advised the Government Party Committee to develop a project on rearranging a number of provincial-level administrative units, stopping the district-level organization, rearranging the commune-level, and at the same time organizing a 2-level local government model," Mr. Tuan emphasized.

Mr. Tuan informed that, up to now, localities have basically completed the provincial and communal level arrangement projects. The Ministry has received 20 project dossiers from 20 localities.

“We are working very urgently, working day and night, without holidays to ensure submission to the Government, trying to submit all provincial and commune level project documents nationwide before May 10, striving to submit all Government project documents to the National Assembly and the National Assembly Standing Committee by May 15.”

Currently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has only received proposals from 20 localities, so there is no exact figure on the number of new communes and wards after the rearrangement. However, the Ministry has also directed localities to ensure that they follow the spirit of the Central Government and the General Secretary, which is to reduce 60-70% of the total number of commune-level administrative units nationwide. If considering each locality, this locality may be higher or lower than another.

In that spirit, the total number of newly formed communes after the arrangement is about 3,300 units, Mr. Tuan said.

Important areas can arrange for provincial standing committee members to be commune leaders.

At the press conference, Director of the Department of Local Government Phan Trung Tuan answered reporters' questions about upcoming commune-level personnel preparations.

The reporter asked: “According to the policy just passed by the Central Government, in the near future, the commune level will have many changes - the commune level will be larger in scale, with more work and higher requirements. Therefore, the issue is that the leadership team, cadres and civil servants at the commune level will have to have higher conditions and standards. Can the Ministry of Home Affairs provide information on the upcoming personnel preparation work at the commune level? How will the selection of commune secretaries and chairmen be carried out? ”.

Mr. Tuan said that regarding the standards for positions and titles of communal-level cadres and civil servants, the Ministry of Home Affairs has advised the Government to submit to the National Assembly the draft Law on Civil Servants (amended), which proposes a unified system of tools in the political system at all levels in the locality. Thus, in the future, there will be a set of standards for positions and titles of cadres and civil servants, including communal-level civil servants.

After the Law on Civil Servants is promulgated, the Ministry will advise the Government to issue a decree specifying the standards for civil servants, including commune-level civil servants. Currently, the standards for commune-level civil servants are being implemented according to Decree 33/2023 of the Government regulating commune-level civil servants and non-professional workers at the commune level, in villages and residential groups. In the near future, the Government will issue a new decree on this content.

Regarding the plan to organize personnel for communal-level administrative units, Mr. Tuan assessed that this is a particularly important issue in the context of implementing the current revolution in organizational arrangement.

Specifically, according to Conclusion 150 of the Politburo, the number of staff will be kept unchanged for the time being, and all district-level staff will be transferred to the commune level to be arranged for the newly formed communes after the merger.

“In spirit, we are implementing the principle of 'local decision, local action, local responsibility'. The central government only guides the principles and policies, while the local authorities have full authority to decide on the arrangement of personnel at the commune level,” Mr. Tuan emphasized.

According to Mr. Tuan, localities can arrange current members of the provincial and municipal Party Committees to become new ward and commune secretaries. Not only department directors, provincial or municipal Party Committee members, even important localities can arrange current provincial standing committee members to become heads of local Party committees. The remaining contents related to personnel arrangements such as who will be the secretary, who will be the chairman, vice chairman, how the local specialized agencies are organized will be decided by the locality and will be responsible according to current regulations.

Within 5 years, the Ministry of Home Affairs will issue a new set of standards to determine the staffing levels of each province and commune in the future. Before the new set of standards is issued, the Ministry of Home Affairs will coordinate with the Central Steering Committee to review the total staffing levels of the whole country in the political system to report to the Politburo for consideration and decision because this is under the authority of the Politburo.