HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam passed a revised constitution on Thursday that reaffirmed the dominant political and economic role of the Communist Party, disappointing reform advocates who had taken advantage of an unprecedented public revision process this year to press for far greater changes.
The ruling party announced its plan to change the charter earlier this year, citing the need to keep up with changing economic times.
An early draft removed language saying the state sector must "play the leading role" in the national economy, leading to hopes the government may dismantle corruption-riddled and unproductive state-owned enterprises that eat up much of the national budget.
But the version passed Thursday by 98 percent of the members in the national assembly in Hanoi reinstated that wording.
The charter also said the Communist Party was the "leading force of the state and society," apparently dashing any hopes of political reform.
During the revision process, the government asked the public for suggestions on the revision process via the Internet, setting off a flurry of rare open criticism and discourse about politics in a country where there is no parliamentary democracy, free speech or right to protest.
