Prior to the plenary session in the morning, the Politburo announced its decision to assign General Luong Cuong, Politburo member and Director of the General Department of Political Affairs of the Vietnam People's Army to join the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat and hold the position of its permanent member. Additionally, member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee and current Chief of the Party Central Committee Office Le Minh Hung will assume the role of head of the Party Central Committee’s Organization Commission while retaining his current position.

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Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (center) presides over the meeting.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong presided over and delivered an opening speech at the session, while Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, on behalf of the Politburo, coordinated the session.

Cuong, in his new capacity as permanent member of the Secretariat, presented the agenda for the 9th plenum's deliberations. The committee later discussed personnel issues and disciplinary measures of some officials.

1. The Party Central Committee considered the termination of positions and duties for Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member and member of the 13th Party Central Committee.

Mai is a senior leader of the Party and the State, who received fundamental training and matured from the grassroots level. She was assigned to hold many important leadership positions in the Party and the State. Throughout her career and in her leadership roles, she always demonstrated a high sense of responsibility, successfully fulfilled the tasks assigned, and made significant contribution to the leadership and direction of the Party and activities of the National Assembly.

However, according to a report by the Party Central Committee's Inspection Commission, during her tenure as a Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, and head of its Mass Mobilization Commission, Mai had made a number of wrongdoings and violations of regulations on what Party members must not do, the regulations on the responsibility to set an example of officials and Party members, firstly Politburo member, member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat and member of the Party Central Committee, thus affecting the prestige of the Party and her personal reputation. Fully aware of her responsibilities before the Party and the people, Mai submitted a request to resign from the assigned positions and retire. 

Following the regulations of the Party, the State and based on Mai's wishes, the Party Central Committee agreed to let her resign from the posts of Politburo member and member of the 13th Party Central Committee.

2. The Party Central Committee decided to introduce candidates for the 15th National Assembly to elect the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the 2021-2026 tenure and the Chairman of the 15th legislature (2021-2026 tenure).

3. The committee elected four additional members to the 13th Politburo. They are Le Minh Hung, member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, head of the Party Central Committee's Organization Commission and Chief of the Party Central Committee Office; Nguyen Trong Nghia, member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Information and Education; Bui Thi Minh Hoai, member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party Central Committee's Mass Mobilization Commission; and Do Van Chien, member of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee.

4. The Party Central Committee decided to impose disciplinary measures on several high-ranking members:

- Le Thanh Hai, former Politburo member, former Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, former Secretary of the municipal Party Civil Affairs Committee and former Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, was found to have violated the democratic centralism principle, Party regulations, state laws, and regulations on things that Party member must not do, the responsibility of setting good examples, and working rules. He also showed a lack of responsibility, and relaxed leadership and direction, leading to significant breaches and wrongdoings within the city's Party organization and administration, resulting in severe consequences, risks of substantial financial losses and wastefulness to the State’s money and asset, along with multiple criminal cases, including very serious ones, which involved many officials and Party members who violated the law and were subsequently disciplined and prosecuted, stirring public concern and causing very negative impact on the reputation of the Party organization and administration of the city.

- Duong Van Thai, a member of the 13th Central Committee and Secretary of the Bac Giang provincial Party Committee, along with Mai Tien Dung, former member of the Party Central Committee and former Minister-Chairman of the Government Office, were found to exhibit moral and lifestyle degradation and serious breaches of Party regulations and state laws while performing their assigned duties and in anti-corruption efforts. They also violated regulations on things that a Party member is banned from doing and on the responsibility of setting good examples, causing severe repercussions, public outrage, and significant damage to the credibility of the Party, local government, and state agencies.

Based on the nature, severity, consequences, and causes of their violations, and following the Party regulations on disciplinary measures for violating Party organizations and members, the Party Central Committee decided to strip Le Thanh Hai of all Party positions; and expel Duong Van Thai and Mai Tien Dung from the Party.

The Party Central Committee tasked the Politburo with directing relevant agencies to implement these decisions as per regulations.

In the afternoon, the Party Central Committee worked in groups, discussing the detailed outlines for the political report of the 13th Central Committee at the upcoming 14th National Party Congress, the detailed outlines for the report on five-year implementation of the 10-year socio-economic development strategy for 2021-2030, and the five-year socio-economic development plan for 2026-2030.

Source: VNA