Many opinions have been given by officials on the results of the confidence vote for 47 key officials, all of whom passed the vote since “low confidence” ballots accounted for less than 50 percent of the total number of ballots. National Assembly (NA) chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said that the results of the confidence vote, the first-ever held in the country, are “objective and a reflection of the national situation in all areas, including economics, society, politics, security, defense, and justice.”  No official had a majority of “low confidence” ballots. 492 deputies voted on June 10, Hung said. “This means that no official is subject to a no-confidence vote.” According to regulations, those who are given “low confidence” by more than half of the total number of deputies “can apply for a resignation”. Those who get “low confidence” from more than two-thirds of the total number of deputies or those who are given “low confidence” by more than half of the total number of deputies for two consecutive years will be subject to a round of no-confidence voting.“Low confidence” means “more responsibility needed” Vice NA chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan had the highest number of “high confidence” ballots (372), while State Bank of Vietnam Governor Nguyen Van Binh received the highest number of “low confidence” votes, Hung said.   The voting results for President Truong Tan Sang were 330 “high confidence”, 133 “confidence” and 28 “low confidence” ballots.  The results for Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung were 210, 122 and 160 votes of high, medium and low confidence, respectively. Low numbers of “high confidence” votes generally fell on “hot” positions such as banking, education, health and construction. This means that NA deputies require these officials to improve their responsibility to achieve better work performance, Hung said.    In the cabinet, Binh and Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan had the highest numbers of “low confidence” ballots, while Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh and Public Security Minister Tran Dai Quang were among those who received the highest numbers of “high confidence” votes. Overall, officials in the field of legislation received more “high confidence” ballots than those in executive bodies.“No-confidence” ballots should be applied outright Le Thi Dung, a NA deputy from Ho Chi Minh City, said that the confidence vote was conducted democratically and publicly. However, it reflected only a part of the aspirations of the voters nationwide, as well as the reality of society, Dung said. When asked why, Dung explained that it was because the content of the vote, which refers to only one category, “confidence”, with three optional levels (high, medium and low), and does not refer to an opposite category: “no confidence”. Therefore, such a vote naturally provides more “safety” to all those who are subject to such a vote, which sees the total of number of ballots divided into three parts corresponding to the three levels of confidence. Meanwhile, if there were two contrary categories for voting, the number of ballots would be divided twice, and the results would be more concrete than those that have been announced, Dung said. “There should be only two options: confidence and no-confidence,” she concluded.Frank messages Another opinion came from economic expert Le Dang Doanh, who said the results of the vote can be considered “sincere and frank messages” sent to all the officials involved. Many officials received large numbers of “high confidence” votes, like NA vice chairman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, who topped the list in terms of “high confidence” with 382 ballots; but there are also many who received low numbers of “high confidence” ballots, for example State Bank of Vietnam governor Nguyen Van Binh, with only 88 ballots, Doanh said. The economic expert said that Binh’s poor results could been a result of the efficiency of his monetary and credit policies, or from the actions he has taken in dealing with issues related to gold, or from what he recently said in reply to questions from the NA or the press. In general, the governor should consider the results to be a heartfelt and direct message for him.Reflection of reality Duong Trung Quoc, a deputy from Dong Nai and also a historian, said that the vote of confidence was carried out in a transparent and publicized process. Such a vote, he said, has achieved results that reflected the actual situation of many fields rather well, such as health, transport and banking, with the leaders of these sectors having received low numbers of “high confidence” votes. The vote reflected correctly what has taken place in our lives, Quoc said. “There are challenges that the Prime Minister and his cabinet have overcome, but there are also policies that have yet to meet the public’s expectations.” One of the objectives of the vote is to help the officials involved strengthen awareness of their roles and duties, Quoc said. “I think that the results of the confidence votes will bring in positive effects.”