Participants in Community Meetings: Who Are They? How Are Community Conventions and Protocols Defined?
Who Participates in the Community Meeting?
Based on the provisions in Clause 2, Article 3 of Government Decree No. 59/2023/ND-CP, the regulations are as follows:
Organizing a Community Meeting for People's Discussion and Decision
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2. The participants in the community meeting are specified in Clauses 1 and 2, Article 18 of the Law on the Implementation of Grassroots Democracy. The timing and location of the meeting must be convenient and suitable to the actual conditions for the community members to fully participate.
Participants in the community meeting include the village head, the head of the residential group, the Front Work Committee in the village, the residential group, and representatives from households in the village or residential group.
- The household representative is a person with full civil capacity, capable of representing household members; in the absence of such a person, the representative is the one nominated or authorized by the household members.
Who participates in the community meeting? How are community conventions and regulations specified?
How Are Community Conventions and Regulations Specified?
According to Article 2 of Government Decree No. 61/2023/ND-CP, the community conventions and regulations are specified as follows:
Community Conventions and Regulations
Community conventions and regulations are written documents specifying social norms, including rules of conduct agreed upon and decided by the community; they must not contradict the law and social ethics; aiming to adjust the self-management social relations of the community and being recognized by the commune-level People's Committee.
Thus, community conventions and regulations are documents specifying social norms, including rules of conduct agreed upon and decided by the community; they cannot contradict the law and social ethics.
Community conventions and regulations aim to adjust the self-management social relations of the community and are recognized by the commune-level People's Committee.
How Is the Village or Residential Group Meeting Organized?
According to Clause 5, Article 3 of Government Decree No. 59/2023/ND-CP, the procedure for organizing a village or residential group meeting is as follows:
Step 1: The chairperson of the community meeting states the reason, introduces the delegates; announces the meeting agenda; appoints a person for the meeting to elect as the secretary.
The meeting secretary is elected when more than 50% of the household representatives present at the meeting raise their hands in agreement.
Based on the specific content of each meeting, the chairperson or the assigned person announces decisions and related documents according to the meeting agenda.
Step 2: Participants discuss the contents presented by the chairperson or the assigned person.
- For community meetings to elect the village head, the head of the residential group; members of the Community Investment Supervision Board, members of the People's Inspection Board at the commune, ward, commune-level town, the Front Work Committee in the village or residential group introduces the list of candidates agreed upon with the village or residential group party committee and proposes household representatives present to self-nominate or nominate qualified individuals for election.
- At the end of the discussion, the chairperson summarizes the discussion opinions, proposes contents to be voted on, and the voting method by raising hands or secret ballots for participants to decide.
The chosen option is approved when more than 50% of the household representatives present at the meeting raise their hands in agreement.
Step 3: Vote on the discussed contents
For voting by raising hands, the results are counted immediately and recorded in the meeting minutes.
For voting by secret ballot, the chairperson proposes the number and list of the counting committee, from 3 to 5 people (including the head and members), for household representatives to elect by raising hands. The counting committee is established when more than 50% of the household representatives present at the meeting raise their hands in agreement.
The counting committee guides the voting procedures, how to fill out ballots, and proceeds with ballot distribution.
After voting concludes, the counting committee counts the ballots (inviting two household representatives to witness the process) and drafts the counting minutes.
The head of the counting committee announces the results at the meeting. The counting minutes are made in three copies and sent with the community decision to the commune-level People's Committee, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at the commune-level, and kept at the village or residential group.
Step 4: The chairperson announces the voting results for each content and concludes the meeting.
Community decisions are expressed through documents: resolutions, meeting minutes, memoranda, community agreements, clearly stating the community decision content as per Clause 2, Article 20 of the 2022 Law on the Implementation of Grassroots Democracy.
If the meeting is to elect the village head or the head of the residential group, the elected individual presents to the meeting. If no one is elected, the reasons are stated in the meeting minutes for the commune-level People's Committee to consider organizing a re-election.
Immediately after the meeting ends, the chairperson is responsible for finalizing the meeting records. Within five working days from the meeting's end, the decision approved by the community must be sent to the commune-level People's Committee, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at the commune-level as per Clause 3, Article 20 of the 2022 Law on the Implementation of Grassroots Democracy.
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