Vietnam is a one-party communist state, and elections do not play a major role in its political life. Appointments to CPV posts take place behind closed doors, with votes conducted merely to confirm decisions that have already been made. NA delegates are chosen by popular vote, and the next such election is scheduled for May 2011. However, candidates are closely vetted by the Vietnam Fatherland Front, a CPV-controlled umbrella body that includes all of the country's "mass organisations", and only those deemed suitable are allowed to stand. The same is true of elections for members of the People's Councils, the local organs of state power that operate at the commune, district and provincial levels.