Vietnamese Fatherland Front

The Vietnamese Fatherland Front (Vietnamese: Mặt Trận Tổ Quốc Việt Nam) is an umbrella group of mass movements in Vietnam aligned with the Communist Party of Vietnam forming part of the Vietnamese government. It was founded in February 1977 by the merger of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front of North Vietnam and two Viet Cong groups, the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the Alliance of National, Democratic and Peace Forces of Viet Nam. It is an amalgamation of many smaller groups, including the Communist Party itself. Other groups that participated in the establishment of the Front were the remnants of the Viet Cong, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (a.k.a. the Ho Chi Minh Youth) and the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneer Organization. It also included the Democratic Party of Vietnam and Socialist Party of Vietnam, until they disbanded in 1988.[1] It also incorporates some officially sanctioned religious groups.

Vietnamese Fatherland Front

Mặt Trận Tổ Quốc Việt Nam
ChairmanTrần Thanh Mẫn
FoundedFebruary 1977 (1977-02)
HeadquartersHanoi, Vietnam
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism
Ho Chi Minh Thought
Vietnamese nationalism
National Assembly
475 / 500
Vietnam
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See also
 Vietnam portal
The building of the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front on Tràng Thi Street in Hanoi.

The Front is described by the Vietnamese government as "the political base of people's power." It is intended to have a significant role in society, promoting "national solidarity" and "unity of mind in political and spiritual matters." In practice, the members of the Front, like their counterparts in other Communist states, are largely subservient to the Communist Party, and must accept the party's "leading role" as a condition of their existence.

Many of the government's social programs are conducted through the Front. Recently, it has been given a role in programs to reduce poverty. The Front is also responsible for much of the government's policy on religion, and has the ability to determine which religious groups will receive official approval.

Perhaps more importantly, the Front is intended to supervise the activity of the government and of government organisations. Because the Front's power base is mass participation and popular mobilisation, it is seen as representative of the people, and both Vietnam's constitution and laws give it a special role. The Front has a particularly significant role in elections. Specifically, endorsement by the Front is generally required (in practice, if not in theory) to be a candidate for election. Almost all candidates are nominated by (and members of) the Front, with only a few "self-nominated" candidates avoiding the Front's veto. The Front's role in electoral nominations is mandated by law.

Leadership

Secretary General of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front since 1977:

  • Nguyễn Văn Tiến (1977–1988)
  • Phạm Văn Kiết (1988–1994)
  • Trần Văn Đăng (1994–2004)
  • Huỳnh Đảm (2004–2008)
  • Vũ Trọng Kim (2008–2016)
  • Trần Thanh Mẫn (from 2016)

Chairman of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front since 1977:

Former Front organisations
Tôn Đức Thắng giving the opening speech at the founding of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front in 1955.

Electoral history

National Assembly elections
Election Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
1960
421 / 421
 421 1st Sole legal coalition
1964 8,580,002 100%
366 / 366
 55 1st Sole legal coalition
1971
420 / 420
 54 1st Sole legal coalition
1975 10,561,314 100%
424 / 424
 4 1st Sole legal coalition
1976 22,895,611 100%
492 / 492
 68 1st Sole legal coalition
1981 100%
496 / 496
 4 1st Sole legal coalition
1987 100%
496 / 496
 1st Sole legal coalition
1992 37,195,592 100%
395 / 395
 101 1st Sole legal coalition
1997 43,185,756 100%
450 / 450
 55 1st Sole legal coalition
2002 49,211,275 100%
498 / 498
 48 1st Sole legal coalition
2007 100%
493 / 493
 5 1st Sole legal coalition
2011 61,965,651 100%
500 / 500
 7 1st Sole legal coalition
2016 67,049,091 100%
494 / 494
 6 1st Sole legal coalition

References
  1. Van, Dang. "The Rebirth of the Democratic Party of Vietnam and a basic principle of constitutionalism". newsgroups.derkeiler.com. derkeiler. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
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