As discussed in the previous chapter, democracy has always been one of the elements of the CPV's claims to legitimacy. Democratic centralism is embedded at all levels of the party's structure, from the Politburo to the people's councils in small hamlets. Significant attention has been devoted to highlighting the National Assembly's significance as a symbol of democracy from the early 1990s. This chapter explores the National Assembly election process and recent endeavours to bolster its credibility through improvements in specific areas of its functioning.

Why Do Most Authoritarian Regimes Hold Elections?

One might argue that during wartime, military victories take precedence over elections and other democratic activities, as was the case in the United Kingdom during the Second World War when the 1940 General Election was cancelled. Nevertheless, despite the extreme conditions of constant warfare that Vietnam faced, efforts were made to ensure that elections were held in the North from 1960 until 1975, and from 1976 in a newly unified Vietnam.

In peacetime, while democratic legitimacy takes more priority, holding elections is not a trivial expense. In Vietnam, the entire electoral process is financed through the state budget, which has become increasingly expensive. Election expenses increased by 50 per cent from 2007 to 2011 and almost doubled from 2011 to 2016. The cost of the 2021 Election was roughly $59 million, 20 per cent higher than that of the 2016 Election, despite previous forecasts of 2.6 times increase in expenses. Put in perspective, the 2021 election expenses were comparable to the budgets assigned to the Ministry of Home Affairs ($49 million), the Ministry of Construction ($67 million) and the Ministry of Information and Communications ($58 million). Holding an election is one thing; maintaining the National Assembly and its representatives is another matter entirely. In 2021, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly allocated a total of $7.78 million to the National Assembly delegations of approximately 500 delegates, equating to about $15,500 per delegate per year. This amount is almost five times the GDP per capita of Vietnam in the same year.