101-year-old voter Doan Thi Thuan (centre) casts her ballot at the polling station at Phan Chu Trinh primary school, Ba Dinh ward, Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)

It comes as no surprise that ill-intentioned forces abroad and discontented individuals at home have reacted negatively to the official results of the election of deputies to the 16th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026–2031 tenure. They are unwilling to accept the evident outcomes shaped by the National Election Council and tens of millions of voters.

That is, according to preliminary reports from 34 provinces and cities nationwide, approximately 76.198 million out of nearly 76.424 million eligible voters cast their ballots, representing a turnout of 99.7% – the highest ever recorded in history.

The National Election Council holds a press conference in Hanoi on March 21 to announce the resolution on the election results and the list of elected deputies to the 16th National Assembly. (Photo: VNA)

Out of the 500 deputies elected to the 16th NA, 214 were candidates nominated by central agencies and organisations.

The composition of the new legislature has seen a reduction in the number of deputies concurrently holding positions in executive and judicial bodies, alongside an increase in full-time legislators. Notably, the proportion of expected full-time deputies reaches 40% – the highest level to date – up 1.4 % compared to the 15th NA tenure, 5.5% to the 14th, 7.2 % to the 13th, and 10.6% to the 12th.

Party and State leaders were elected as NA deputies across various constituencies nationwide, demonstrating strong trust from voters.

That is also the affirmation of Nguyen Huu Dong, member of the NEC and deputy head of its Personnel Sub-committee, that the election of 500 NA deputies, 2,552 members of provincial-level People’s Councils, and 72,437 others of commune-level People’s Councils demonstrates that personnel preparations were conducted thoroughly, democratically and in accordance with the law.

Hostile elements turn a blind eye to the truth that has been proven through the election process and results: the political awareness and sense of civic responsibility of voters have been enhanced; the leadership and guidance by Party committees and administrations at all levels have been implemented decisively and synchronously; and the information and communications work has been carried out widely and effectively. The principles of democracy, openness, and transparency were ensured throughout the entire election process – from planning the structure, composition, and number of candidates; consultation and gathering of voter opinions; nomination of candidates; and election campaigning to the organisation of voting and vote counting, thereby selecting qualified and deserving representatives.

Regardless of the positive changes in Vietnam’s socio-economic life and the rigorous conduct of the election process, hostile forces continue to deny the results with vague arguments lacking concrete evidence. Some have even resorted to farcical acts, issuing online “calls” to "sign a joint statement rejecting the election results."

Although these are isolated voices running counter to the prevailing trend in Vietnam, it remains necessary to clearly identify the tactics and objectives of those who are deliberately distorting the election results.

Those tactics include claiming that the election results were “pre-arranged” and that voting was a mere “formality”, aiming to trigger doubts about electoral transparency and erode public trust in the Party and the regime.

Another is to distort the truth about the five core steps in the consultation process for nominating candidates to the NA and People’s Councils at all levels. Its objective is to attack the Party's leadership, deny the democratic nature of the electoral system, and thereby sabotage the country’s chosen development path.

“Muddying the waters” is another tactic which exploits social media to spread misinformation and exaggerate isolated incidents to create a bandwagon effect and confusion among the public. The objective is to incite division and social instability, and provoke discontented individuals and those lacking a firm political stance.

Repeating fabricated claims about negative phenomena until falsehoods are perceived as truth is also a tactic used by hostile forces. They exaggerates minor issues into major ones with a view to distorting perceptions of Vietnam’s election process in particular and the country as a whole in the international arena.

KPL