The newly-appointed Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha will temporarily be the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment until a new minister is appointed.

On January 9, at the press conference to announce the results of the 15th National Assembly’s second extraordinary meeting, the local media raised questions related to personnel work.

At the press conference, the press repeated the announcement of the National Assembly’s Office, which said: Considering personal aspirations, in Official Dispatch No. 5731 dated December 23, 2022, the Politburo agreed that Mr. Pham Binh Minh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Member of the 13th Politburo, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister for the 2021-2026 term, and Mr. Vu Duc Dam, Member of the 13th Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister for the term 2021-2026, will stop holding leadership positions and resign according to regulations. Mr. Minh then also submitted an application to resign from his National Assembly delegate duties.

"So, is it considered that Mr. Pham Binh Minh and Mr. Vu Duc Dam resigned or not? Regulation 41 on resignation provides many grounds for resignation, so what are the reasons for Mr. Pham Binh Minh and Mr. Vu Duc Dam to resign?" a reporter from Thanh Nien newspaper asked.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, deputy head of the National Assembly Standing Committee’s Deputy Affairs Department, said that based on the Party's regulations and State law, at the National Assembly’s second extraordinary meeting, deputies approved the dismissal of Mr. Pham Binh Minh and Mr. Le Minh Chuan (former chairman of the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group) from the National Assembly deputy duties; the dismissal from the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Mr. Pham Binh Minh and Mr. Vu Duc Dam; and the appointment to the position of Deputy Prime Minister to Mr. Tran Luu Quang and Mr. Tran Hong Ha. 

The processes were in accordance with the law, Mr. Tuan Anh explained, saying the reasons for the National Assembly's approval of the dismissal of Mr. Pham Binh Minh and Mr. Vu Duc Dam were done on the basis of personal wishes.

According to Mr. Tuan Anh, the content had been carefully considered by the competent authority. The Party Central Committee issued Resolution 32 approving the resignations and submitted them to the National Assembly for approval of the dismissals of Mr. Pham Binh Minh and Mr. Vu Duc Dam.

"The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha has been approved by the National Assembly as Deputy Prime Minister. So, who will be the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment?" a VietNamNet newspaper reporter asked. 

Mr. Tuan Anh said that in the short term, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha will concurrently hold the position of Minister of Natural Resources and Environment until a replacement is available.

General Secretary of the National Assembly Bui Van Cuong affirmed that the policy of the Party Central Committee and the Politburo emphasizes the responsibility of setting an example of Party members, especially members of the Party Central Committee, members of the Secretariat, and members of the Politburo.

Accordingly, if an official has health problems, or his reputation has declined, he/she will resign and the competent authority will consider dismissal.

"According to the regulations, resignation is to stop holding the task before the end of the appointed term. This content is similar, but here, according to the Resolution of the National Assembly, it is dismissal," Mr. Cuong explained.

Thu Hang