Shortening the term of the Village Head for more than 6 months: Which level decides?

Article 4 of Decree 185/2026/ND-CP stipulates that if the term of office of Village Heads and Residential Group Leaders is shortened by more than 6 months, the Commune-level People's Committee shall report to the Provincial-level People's Committee for consideration and decision.

According to Decree 185/2026/ND-CP of the Government, the term of office of Village Heads and Residential Group Leaders is determined to be 5 years. However, in some special cases, this term may be adjusted to suit actual requirements.

When it is necessary to ensure consistency with the time of reorganizing villages and residential groups or when force majeure situations such as natural disasters and epidemics occur that prevent elections from taking place on time, the commune-level People's Committee has the right to decide to shorten or extend the term of office of the Village Head and Residential Group Leader. However, the adjustment time must not exceed 6 months.

For cases where it is necessary to shorten or extend the term for more than 6 months, the decision-making authority no longer belongs to the commune level. At that time, the commune-level People's Committee must prepare a report and send it to the provincial-level People's Committee for consideration and decision according to regulations.

The new regulation aims to ensure flexibility in management at the grassroots level, while maintaining stability and unity in the organization of the local government apparatus, especially in the context of rearranging administrative units or when abnormal situations occur.

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