On April 23, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Organization issued Guidance No.31-HD/BTCTW on establishing Party organizations corresponding to administrative units at the local level and streamlining the organizational structure of the Fatherland Front agencies and affiliated organizations at the provincial and commune levels. The guidance specifies that the standing committees of provincial and centrally-run city Party Committees are to lead and direct the standing committees of the provincial Fatherland Front Committee to develop a Plan for Streamlining the Fatherland Front Committee, political-social organizations, and mass organizations assigned tasks by the Party and State.

The principles include merging advisory and support agencies into the provincial Fatherland Front agency; maintaining the legal status of political-social organizations and mass organizations (with separate seals and accounts); and ensuring both the operations of affiliated organizations and mass organizations under the Fatherland Front while preserving their relative independence and creativity.

Subsequently, on April 27, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee submitted to the Provincial Party Executive Committee a Plan for Streamlining the Organizational Structure of the Fatherland Front, Political-Social Organizations, and Mass Organizations in the province. Currently, there are 19 entities under the Fatherland Front and political-social organizations at the provincial level. Under the proposed plan, these will be reduced to a maximum of 10 entities (53%), cutting 9 entities (47%).

According to the provincial Party Committee’s Commission for Organization, after the restructuring, the Fatherland Front and political-social organizations are expected to reduce staffing by 7.2% (with 12 individuals retiring early immediately after the restructuring). The total staffing of the provincial Fatherland Front Committee and political-social organizations will decrease by 15.6% (including 26 positions, such as chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, and civil servants not holding leadership roles from district-level labor federations, who will be reassigned to communes or, in some cases, to the provincial level as appropriate).

Regarding mass organizations, Điện Biên currently has 13 organizations assigned tasks by the Party and State. For now, their organizational structures will remain unchanged, with the Standing Committee of the provincial Fatherland Front Committee tasked as the focal point to coordinate management, regulate staffing, and oversee operational funding. Once the Plan is implemented, the Party Committee of the Fatherland Front, political-social organizations, and mass organizations will continue to review and streamline internal structures and staffing in line with the broader policy. It is projected that staffing will be reduced by at least 4.8% after the initial streamlining. Over the next five years, further reviews will be conducted to streamline internal entities and reduce staffing as mandated.

With the above policy and implementation plan, the Fatherland Front, political-social organizations, and mass organizations have actively prepared for the merger. Playing a pivotal role in this process, the Standing Committee of the provincial Fatherland Front has diligently, urgently, cautiously, and thoroughly developed the plan, holding multiple discussions.

Comrade Mùa A Vảng, Chairman of the provincial Fatherland Front Committee, stated: “The Standing Committee of the Fatherland Front, political-social organizations, and mass organizations have developed plans, established steering committees, and set up support teams to urgently guide tasks related to organizational restructuring. This ensures alignment with the overall timeline for the administrative streamlining revolution. Once the Plan is issued, the Standing Committee of the provincial Fatherland Front will closely follow the guidance documents from competent authorities to implement tasks, ensuring the restructuring meets requirements. Key priorities include: conducting effective political and ideological work to achieve high consensus; collaborating with relevant agencies and units to define the functions, tasks, and authority of the new structure for early stabilization; and developing a plan for arranging and assigning positions under the new model.”

The Farmers’ Association is also preparing and readying itself for this administrative streamlining revolution. The Association currently has 3 departments with 21 staff members on payroll, of whom 3 have registered for early retirement under Decree 178. With 100% of its staff being Party members, the Association enjoys significant advantages in implementing its tasks. According to Lỳ Lỳ Xá, Chairman of the Farmers’ Association: “During the process, the Association has collaborated with the Fatherland Front to contribute to developing the plan and has thoroughly disseminated resolutions, conclusions, and central guidance on organizational restructuring to all Party members in the branch. As a result, members fully understand, remain confident in their tasks, and maintain unity without being swayed or affecting their work.”

Merging associations and organizations into the Fatherland Front is a complex task that may encounter challenges, such as defining functions, tasks, coordination mechanisms, and addressing infrastructure issues. “This is a new endeavor, and there will initially be some confusion during implementation. However, moving forward, under the leadership of the Provincial Party Committee and the Fatherland Front, the Farmers’ Association will work together to diligently and effectively implement the plan’s contents, achieving practical results,” Lỳ Lỳ Xá added.

These challenges are anticipated and currently being addressed by the province. The issuance of documents, regulations, and guidance from central agencies on certain aspects has been slow, causing confusion and a lack of legal basis for local implementation. Post-restructuring, arranging positions for cadres, civil servants, and workers will be challenging due to the reduction in entities and the resulting surplus of personnel. The facilities of the Fatherland Front, associations, and organizations are scattered and not centralized, requiring reorganization of office spaces. Therefore, after the Plan is issued, units must continue to proactively and decisively implement it with strong determination, while also conducting effective ideological work to ensure consensus and unity, achieving a lean, strong, effective, and efficient structure.