Archive Report
Archive Report
Religious Factors in Viet Nam Election
September Election for Constituent Assembly
Religion and what passes for politics in South Viet Nam have become closely intertwined. The scheduled September elections for a South Vietnamese constituent assembly are almost certain to have a strong religious overtone. Under the proportional representation system of voting,1 insisted upon by the Saigon government, candidates must run as part of a slate instead of as individuals. Most, though not all, lists of candidates were submitted by either the Buddhists or the Roman Catholics, South Viet Nam's two largest religious groups. It now appears that the Buddhists, “though they may not win a majority of seats, will …emerge as the largest single force in the assembly.” 2
The constituent assembly will have only one function—to ...