HANOI, Vietnam (AFP): Vietnam announced on Saturday that 18 non-Communist Party members were elected to its 500-seat parliament, calling the result "a meaningful expansion of democracy".
The National Assembly is the country's top legislative body, but serves mainly to ratify decisions made by the ruling Communist Party.
Voters cast their ballots on Sunday and official results Saturday showed only 18 elected deputies were not members of the Communist Party, up from 14 in the last election five years ago.
Vice Chair of the Committee for Deputy Affairs Ta Thi Yen called the increase "modest", adding "it marks a meaningful expansion of democracy and representation within the National Assembly".
The government said more than 99 percent of 76 million voters had cast their ballots -- a typically high official turnout.
The Southeast Asian nation of 100 million is both an economic success story, boasting eight percent growth last year, and a repressive one-party state that often jails its critics.
Among the new parliament's first tasks when it sits next month will be to confirm senior leaders already selected by the party at its twice-a-decade congress in January.
Top leader To Lam was reaffirmed as general secretary, but he is widely expected to become president as well -- a post that requires approval by lawmakers. -- AFP
