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Constitutional Assembly elections were held in South Vietnam on 4 March 1956 to establish a unicameral parliament for the country. A total of 431 candidates contested the 123 seats from all five registered pro-government political parties, with 11 elected as pro-government independents. Edward Miller notes that the election was relatively free and fair in comparison to 1955 State of Vietnam referendum, as independent and opposition candidates were allowed to contest the seats, and opposition campaigns were allowed. However, campaign materials had to be screened, and the government was allowed to suspend candidates on the basis of their links with Viet Minh and other rebel groups. Two deputies were not permitted to take seats due to electoral violations, making the total number of deputies seated at 121. On 26 October the body was transformed into the National Assembly after the new constitution came into effect.

Electoral system

The 123 members of the Constitutional Assembly were elected by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies. Candidates were not required to be residents of the constituencies in which they ran. Most constituencies were roughly equal in population, although Saigon was only allotted seven seats (6% of the total) despite being home to about 14% of the national population.

Results

References

1. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p331 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
2. Miller, Edward (2013). Misalliance: Ngo Dinh Diem, the United States, and the Fate of South Vietnam. Boston: Harvard University Press. pp. 144–145. ISBN 978-0-674-07298-5.
3. ^ Nohlen et al., p334
4. Scigliano, Robert G. “The Electoral Process in South Vietnam: Politics in an Underdeveloped State.” Midwest Journal of Political Science 4, no. 2 (1960): 138–61. https://doi.org/10.2307/2108705.

v t e Elections and referendums in Vietnam
Legislative elections	1976 1981 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2011 2016 2021
Local elections	2011 2016 2021
North Vietnam	Parliamentary elections 1946 1960 1964 1971 1975
South Vietnam	Presidential elections 1961 1967 1971 Parliamentary elections 1956* 1959 1963 1966* 1967 1971 Senate elections 1967 1970 1973 Referendums 1955
Cochinchina	Parliamentary elections 1922 1926 1930 1935 1939 1949
* Constitutional Assembly

• 1956 elections in Asia
• 1956 in South Vietnam
• Elections in South Vietnam