Senator Ngo condemns the ‘sham’ elections in Vietnam
[For immediate release]- May 27, 2021
Today, Senator Thanh Hai Ngo issued the following Statement in response to the sham elections – to select a ‘rubber-stamp’ legislature – that took place in Vietnam on Sunday, May 23, 2021:
Vietnam held elections to determine the members that would constitute its 15th National Assembly, as well as the People’s Councils at the local level on May 23rd. Elections in Vietnam are undoubtedly of a purely ceremonial nature and only serve the Vietnam Communist Party’s (VCP) interests in maintaining their despotic rule over the people of Vietnam. Key leadership positions as well as the overall composition of the National Assembly are determined several weeks in advance.
Independent candidates are arrested and intimidated for any involvement in the election. Others who dare to discuss the elections online through social media platforms such as Facebook, are subjected to physical assault and days of police questioning.
I categorically condemn this absurd travesty and ‘joke to democracy’; an utter affront to the Vietnamese people’s ability to exercise their civil rights and freely choose their leaders, as well as meaningfully participate in free, fair and transparent elections, as entrenched in the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – ratified by Vietnam in 1982. For meaningful change to take place, there must be an unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience, a reform of election laws (i.e. elimination of Article 4 of the constitution to allow for independent, multi-party participation in governance) and the authorization of international observers to monitor elections.
It is first and foremost, time for the people of Vietnam to assert their fundamental civil and political freedoms and human rights by demanding their rights that are guaranteed by their very country’s constitution: their right to vote freely. They must denounce Vietnam’s illegitimate, farcical, and sham elections on May 23rd as an affront to freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
For more information, please contact:
Office of the Honourable Thanh Hai Ngo
613-943-1599
@SenatorNgo
Additional information:
The Diplomat: Vietnam’s National Assembly Vote: A Futile Gesture
Amnesty International – Viet Nam: Fresh crackdown as National Assembly election looms
Reuters: Vietnam holds parliament election amid new COVID-19 outbreak