Viet Nam

From Roach Busters

Current revision as of 10:18, 19 December 2008

Việt Nam Cộng Hòa Republic of Viet Nam
Flag	Coat of arms
Motto "Tổ quốc — Danh dự — Trách nhiệm" (Vietnamese) "Fatherland — Honor — Responsibility"
Anthem Thanh Niên Hành Khúc (March of the Youths)
Capital (and largest city)	Sài Gòn 10°45′N 106°40′E
Official languages	Vietnamese
Demonym	Vietnamese
Government  - President  - Vice-President  - Prime Minister  - Deputy Prime Minister	Presidential republic Nguyễn Thị Mai Dương Lâm Ngọc Minh Đoàn Thiêm Hồng Nguyễn Quang Xuân
Independence  - Declared  - De facto  - De jure  - Republic declared	from France September 2, 1945 May 7, 1954 July 21, 1954 October 26, 1955
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	331,690 km² 128,527 sq mi 1.3
Population  - July 2008 estimate  - 1999 census  - Density	86,116,559 76,323,173 259.6/km² 670/sq mi
GDP (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita	2008 estimate $1.28 trillion $14,869
GDP (nominal)  - Total  - Per capita	2008 estimate $1.02 trillion $11,850
Gini (2005)	41 (medium)
HDI (2005)	0.796 (medium)
Currency	Đồng (₫) (VND)
Time zone - Summer (DST)	(UTC +7) not observed (UTC +7)
Internet TLD	.vi
Calling code	+84

The Republic of Viet Nam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Cộng Hòa) is the easternmost country on the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east. With a population of over 86 million, Viet Nam is one of the 15 most populous countries in the world.

Viet Nam was under Chinese control for a thousand years before becoming a nation-state in the 10th century. Successive dynasties flourished until it was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century. Efforts to resist the French eventually led to their expulsion from the country in the mid-20th century, resulting in Vietnamese independence in 1954. to be continued

[edit] President

The President is vested with the leadership of the Nation. He is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces in time of both peace and war. He represents the nation in relations with foreign countries, appoints all ambassadors, and accredits foreign diplomatic representatives. He is assisted by a Vice-President elected simultaneously with him on the same ticket and by Secretaries and Under-Secretaries of State appointed by and responsible to him. He appoints and dismisses all military and civil servants in conformance with existing laws, except in cases where the Constitution prescribes special procedures and he bestows all decorations, exerts the right of pardon, of mitigation, commutation and cancellation of penalties.

With the approval of the National Assembly, the President of the Republic ratifies international treaties and conventions, declares war and concludes treaties of peace. In case of emergency of alert or of siege within a given electoral district or districts, the President may extend the term of office of the deputy or deputies from that district, provided that at the latest within 6 months of the end of those special circumstances, partial elections must be held. The president must inform the Assembly of the state of the nation at least once each year and whenever else necessary. He communicates with the National Assembly by means of messages, he may attend its sessions and speak before it.

The President must submit the draft of the National Budget to the Assembly before September 30th of each year; but if it is not voted definitively by December 31st as required by the Constitution, the President may enact it by decree and apply it under certain conditions until such a time as the Assembly passes further legislation.

The President and Vice-President of the Republic are elected by universal, direct and secret vote, as are the deputies to the National Assembly, but for a term of five (instead of three) years, and are eligible for re-election twice only.

The functions of the President and Vice-President may come to an end before the normal term because of (1) death ; (2) incapacity to be ascertained by the National Assembly due to serious and prolonged illness ; (3) Resignation with notification to the National Assembly; and (4) Deposition, or impeachment, by the Special Court of Justice.

[edit] National Assembly

The unicameral National Assembly has power to vote laws and to approve international treaties and conventions. Deputies may introduce proposals for laws and the President of the Republic may submit bills of laws and when, in case of national emergency, the Assembly is not in session, the President may promulgate his own temporary ordinances or law-decrees subject to later ratification by the Assembly.

The President of the Republic may, with the consent of the Assembly, organize public referendum, the results of which must be respected by both the executive and legislative powers.

In case of executive incapacity due to serious and prolonged illness, the Assembly may remove the President or Vice-President from office by a four-fifths majority of the total number of deputies. The power to impeach the President or Vice-President is delegated by the Assembly to the Special Court of Justice composed of 15 deputies elected by the Assembly and presided over by the President of the Court of Cassation.

The deputies to the National Assembly are elected by universal, direct and secret ballot according to certain procedures and conditions supplemented by electoral laws that also fix the size of the Assembly (presently set at 123 deputies). This measure does not limit the number of deputies or the number of electoral units in order to accomodate natural population increases.

Deputies are elected for a term of three years and are eligible for re-election. In case of war or internal disturbances, their functions are automatically extended, provided that general elections must be organized at the latest within six months of the end of these special circumstances.

The legislative Assembly shall prescribe its own internal regulations. The agenda of each session has been established by the officers of the Assembly in agreement with the leaders of the political groups. Should a deputy wish to request the addition of an item to the agenda, he may do so through the leader of his party or group.

Voting in the Assembly may be either by raised hands, or public, or secret ballot, depending on the importance of the issue. Constitutional amendments by the National Assembly must be taken by public ballot. Otherwise, the secret ballot is reserved when a three-fourths or greater majority is required. Vote by correspondence is not permitted. Vote by proxy is limited to one absentee ballot for each deputy present.

The permanent officers of the Assembly consist of a President, two Vice-Presidents and six Secretaries. They direct the debates of the Assembly and its subsidiary organs. When the Assembly President is absent, the first or second vice-president directs the debates, controls the administration and security of the Assembly, and represents it in dealing with the administration and at official ceremonies.

The Secretaries of the Assembly are in charge of the reports of the sessions and entrusted with the supervision and control of the various administrative offices. At least two Secretaries must attend each session and, concurrently with the President or Vice-President in charge, sign the reports of those sessions.

As elected representatives of the people, deputies enjoy parliamentary immunity and certain other privileges and priorities fixed by the Assembly within the limits prescribed by the Constitution.

[edit] Special Court of Justice

The independence of the judiciary as prescribed in the Constitution's Basic Provisions is implemented by the High Council of the Judiciary and two different supreme courts with distinct non-conflicting functions:

The High Council of the Judiciary, as created by the Constitution, is designed to supervise the application of the Statute of judges. Magistrates on the bench shall make decisions according to their own conscience, only public prosecutors shall be supervised by the department of Justice.

The Special Court of Justice has been created by the Constitution and empowered with a unique function: To try, and impeach, the President or Vice-President of the Republic for treason as this and other capital crimes are defined by the Constitution. The Court's power also extends to impeachment of the President of the Court of Cassation and of the Constitutional Court. It is presided over normally by the President of the Court of Cassation and a jury composed of 15 deputies elected from the National Assembly for each legislature; but when the President of the Court of Cassation is himself accused, the Special Court of Justice is presided over by the President of the Constitutional Court.

In effect, therefore, the Special Court of Justice empowers the highest judge and the National Assembly through its 15 elected representatives to impeach the President and Vice-President. This provision is designed to assure an impartial justice when the accused are the highest civic officers of the State.

The function of the Constituonal Court is, as its name implies, to ascertain the constitutionality of laws, decrees and administrative regulations.

The Constitutional Court shall consist of a President appointed by the President of the Republic with the approval of the National Assembly; four high-ranking lawyers or judges appointed by the President of the Republic; and four deputies elected by the National Assembly.

Magistrates and justices of the lower courts are appointed, like all civil servants, by the President of the Republic; but unlike prosecutors and other public servants, they are vested by present law with irremovibility as well as complete independence of action.

[edit] Political parties

Citizens' Assembly (predominantly Catholic; conservative)
Independents of the National Revolutionary Movement (centrist)
Revolutionary Labor Party (liberal, center-left)