Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính casts his ballot at a polling station in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city of Cần Thơ. Photo baochinhphu.vn

HCM CITY — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính called on people nationwide to exercise their rights and obligations to elect the most deserving deputies to the 15th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for 2021-2026 term as he cast his ballot at a polling station in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city of Cần Thơ. 

Chính said he was particularly emotional witnessing the excitement of voters in Cần Thơ and those in the Mekong Delta in exercising their rights and obligations of citizens, contributing to building “a socialist state ruled by law and of the People, by the People and for the People.”

“We feel the trust and confidence of the people and voters in the Party and State,” he noted.

He said it was important to organise a “democratic, fair and transparent election in accordance with the law and on schedule as planned.”

“People nationwide must elect the most deserving representatives to the People’s Councils at all levels for 2021-2026 and the 15th National Assembly, the highest state power agency,” Chính said. “The selection is made through a strict process and in accordance with the law.”

On Saturday, Chính worked in Trà Vinh Province on the preparation for the elections. On the same day, he also met with Cần Thơ City’s health sector to discuss COVID-19 prevention and safety.

Given the spread of COVID-19, PM Chính urged voters to observe pandemic prevention and control regulations on the election day.

PM Chính said the health sector in localities must have plans for voters who are on duty in the fight against the pandemic, those who are quarantined, and those who are being treated for the disease. 

In localities where the outbreak remains unpredictable, each polling station must have a separate area for the temporary quarantine of suspected COVID cases, per the Ministry of Health regulations, according to Chính.

In a related move, former President Nguyễn Minh Triết and Secretary of Bình Dương Provincial Party Committee Trần Văn Nam cast their first ballots at the polling station No 5 in Phú Thuận Hamlet, Phú An Commune, Bến Cát Town.

According to the Bình Dương Province’s Election Commission, the province has established 1,100 election teams (each team has 10-21 members) in 1,100 polling stations, of which there are 22 special teams (including 16 armed forces and six drug rehabilitation facilities and prisons).

More than 1.7 million voters are expected to go to polling stations in Bình Dương Province.

Representatives of 91 companies with more than 12,000 employees said they would create the most favourable conditions for the employees to vote.

In addition, more than 1 million voters in Tây Ninh went to polling stations.

In Bình Phước Province, from early morning, hundreds of thousands of voters went to polling stations.

Elections at hotspot border areas 

To ensure that COVID-19 prevention forces at border areas can vote, the An Giang Province Election Commission set up mobile ballot boxes for pandemic prevention forces to join in the elections at border areas with Cambodia.

From the early morning, the first voters came to polling station No. 11 at Vinh Ngươn border station at Núi Sam Ward in Châu Đốc City.

All the voters had their temperatures checked and their hands disinfected during procedures.

According to Major Cao Ngọc Khuê, a politician from Vĩnh Ngươn Border Guard Station, the station has 29 teams and checkpoints for COVID-19 prevention and control near the border, with a total of 244 voters from three forces (border guards, police and the military).

“We have set up four polling stations, of which three mobile ballot boxes will be transported to checkpoints at the borders with Cambodia so that the pandemic prevention teams can exercise their right to vote while on duty at border areas,” he said.

According to An Giang Province’s Election Commission, the province has 200 teams and checkpoints for COVID-19 prevention and control near the Cambodian border. 

As many as 69.2 million voters are eligible to go to 84,767 polling stations across the country to elect deputies to the 15th NA and all-level People’s Councils for 2021-2026 on Sunday.  

The National Election Council, Election Committees and election units at all localities have been asked to ensure safety and security for the election.

The election will end at 7pm the same day.  

The lists of elected deputies to the People’s Councils at all levels and the National Assembly are expected to be announced 10 days and 20 days after election day, respectively, according to the National Election Council. — VNS 

A soldier casts his ballot at a polling station at the Tịnh Biên International Border Gate Border Guard Station in Tịnh Biên District of An Giang Province. Photo tuoitre.vn

Several provinces and cities in the South recorded high turnout rates on the morning of the election day, particularly localities in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta Region.

The Mekong Delta province of Trà Vinh reported that 524,130 eligible citizens had voted by 9am. The turnover rates were 65.18 per cent.

Vĩnh Long Province reported 276,663 out of 836,549 voters going to the polls by 9am, with turnout rates of 33.07 per cent.

Bến Tre Province reached 331,000 out of more than 1 million voters going to the polls by 9am, with turnover rates of 32 per cent.

Cần Thơ City had turnout rates of 29.34 per cent, with 948,687 registered voters by 9am.

HCM City claimed 782,048 out of more than 5.6 million voters, or 13.68 percent of the electorate, going to the polls by 9am.

The number of voters at polling stations in Bình Dương Province reached 363,000, making up 20 per cent by 9:15am.