Vietnam's One-Party Election: Communist Party Dominates Polls, Leaders Set for Ratification

• Polls opened in Vietnam for parliamentary elections, primarily to ratify decisions by the ruling Communist Party.
• The Southeast Asian nation, an economic success with 8% growth, remains a repressive one-party state that often jails critics.
• Out of 864 candidates for the 500-seat parliament, only 65 are not Communist Party members, a decrease from the last vote.
• Many citizens, like Phuong Anh, express lukewarm feelings about elections, believing their vote doesn't matter.
• The new parliament's first task is to confirm top leaders, including To Lam, already selected by the party at its January congress.