President of Laos

Last updated

President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic
ປະທານປະເທດ ແຫ່ງ ສປປ ລາວ
Emblem of Laos.svg
Flag of Laos.svg
Thongloun Sisoulith (2023) (cropped 2).jpg
since 22 March 2021
Style His Excellency
Type Head of state
Member of
Residence Presidential Palace, Vientiane
Seat Vientiane
Nominator Lao People's Revolutionary Party
Appointer National Assembly
Term length Five years, renewable once
Constituting instrument Constitution of Laos
Inaugural holder Souphanouvong
Formation2 December 1975
(48 years ago)
 (1975-12-02)
Deputy Vice President
Salary1,170,000 Kip per month [1]

The president of the Lao People's Democratic Republic is the head of state of Laos. The current president is Thongloun Sisoulith, since 22 March 2021. He was previously elected as the General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, Laos' most powerful position in January 2021, ranking him first in the Politburo.

Contents

History

Background

The office of the President of the People's Democratic Republic traces its lineage back to Prince Souphanouvong, the first President of the People's Democratic Republic, a member of the deposed royal family and one of the Three Princes, who became President when the former Kingdom of Laos was overthrow by the Pathet Lao in 1975, at the end of the Laotian Civil War.

Duties and rights

Term limits

The president is elected by the National Assembly for a term of five years, and may serve no more than two terms consecutively. A candidate must receive at least two-thirds support from lawmakers present and voting in order to be elected. [2]

Role and authority

The president represents Laos internally and externally, supervises the work as well as preserving the stability of the national governmental system and safeguards the independence and territorial integrity of the country. The President appoints the prime minister, vice president, ministers and other officials with the consent of the National Assembly. Additionally, the President is the commander-in-chief of the Lao People's Armed Forces.

However, as Laos is a one party communist state, the highest and most powerful political position is the General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, not the President. The general secretary controls the Politburo and the Secretariat, Laos' top decision-making bodies, making the officeholder as de facto leader of Laos. However, the offices have been held concurrently for most of the time since 1998. As such, the president derives most of his power from his post as general secretary.

Since Laos is a one-party state, all the presidents of the People's Democratic Republic have been members of the party while holding office.

List of presidents

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officeElection Prime minister(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Souphanouvong1978.jpg Souphanouvong
ສຸພານຸວົງ
(1909–1995)
2 December 197529 October 198610 years, 331 daysNone Kaysone Phomvihane
No image.png Phoumi Vongvichit
ພູມີ ວົງວິຈິດ
(1909–1994)
Acting
29 October 198615 August 19914 years, 290 daysNone Kaysone Phomvihane
2 Kaysone Phomvihane 1978.jpg Kaysone Phomvihane
ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ
(1920–1992)
15 August 199121 November 19921 year, 98 days 1991 Khamtai Siphandon
3 No image.png Nouhak Phoumsavanh
ໜູຮັກ ພູມສະຫວັນ
(1910–2008)
25 November 199224 February 19985 years, 91 daysNone Khamtai Siphandon
4 The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh meeting with the President of Laos, Mr. Khamtay Siphandone at Vientiane in Laos on November 29, 2004 (cropped).jpg Khamtai Siphandone
ຄຳໄຕ ສີພັນດອນ
(born 1924)
24 February 19988 June 20068 years, 104 days 1996 Sisavath Keobounphanh
2001 Bounnhang Vorachith
5 Choummaly Sayasone in Russia head pic.jpg Choummaly Sayasone
ຈູມມະລີ ໄຊຍະສອນ
(born 1936)
8 June 200620 April 20169 years, 317 days 2006 Bouasone Bouphavanh
2011 Thongsing Thammavong
6 Bounnhang Vorachith 2016 (cropped).jpg Bounnhang Vorachit
ບຸນຍັງ ວໍລະຈິດ
(born 1937)
20 April 201622 March 20214 years, 336 days 2016 Thongloun Sisoulith
7 Thongloun Sisoulith (2023) (cropped 2).jpg Thongloun Sisoulith
ທອງລຸນ ສີສຸລິດ
(born 1945)
22 March 2021Incumbent3 years, 226 days 2021 Phankham Viphavanh
Sonexay Siphandone

Timeline

Thongloun SisoulithBounnhang VorachitChoummaly SayasoneKhamtai SiphandoneNouhak PhoumsavanhKaysone PhomvihanePhoumi VongvichitSouphanouvongPresident of Laos

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lao People's Revolutionary Party</span> Sole ruling party of Laos

The Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The party's monopoly on state power is guaranteed by Article 3 of the Constitution of Laos, and it maintains a unitary state with centralised control over the economy and military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khamtai Siphandone</span> Laotian politician (born 1924)

General Khamtai Siphandone is a Laotian politician who was Chairman of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party from 24 November 1992 to 21 March 2006 and President of Laos from 24 February 1998 to 8 June 2006, when he was replaced by Choummaly Sayasone. He was a member of the Communist Party of Indochina in 1954 and a member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhism in Laos</span>

Theravada Buddhism is the largest religion in Laos, which is practiced by 66% of the population. Lao Buddhism is a unique version of Theravada Buddhism and is at the basis of ethnic Lao culture. Buddhism in Laos is often closely tied to animist beliefs and belief in ancestral spirits, particularly in rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Laos</span> Head of government of Laos

The Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, formerly the chairman of the Council of Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is the head of government of Laos. The highest position in the government, they direct the country's executive branch. The prime minister is accountable to the president, the National Assembly and the country's only legal party: the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP). The current prime minister is Sonexay Siphandone, who was elected in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Laos</span> Supreme law of Laos

The Constitution of Laos specifies the functions and powers of the government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and defines the rights and duties of Laotian citizens. The constitution was adopted on August 14, 1991, sixteen years after the 1975 establishment of the Republic, a period during which the country functioned without a written constitution or published penal and criminal codes. It consists of a Preamble and Articles, and legally establishes a set of authorities that resemble the traditional differentiation among executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.

Asang Laoly is a retired Lao politician, Major General, and member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP). While he was the Deputy Prime Minister of Laos from 2002 to 2016, he also held a number of leadership positions in both the government and in LPRP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party</span>

The 6th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party was held in Vientiane from 18 to 20 March 1996. The congress occurs once every five years. A total of 381 delegates represented the party's 78,000 card-carrying members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party</span>

The 8th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party was held in Vientiane from 18 to 21 March 2006. The congress occurs once every five years. A total of 498 delegates represented the party's 148,590 card-carrying members.

The 9th Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), officially the Political Bureau of the 9th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, was elected in 2011 at the 1st Plenary Session of the 9th Central Committee.

The 4th Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), officially the Political Bureau of the 4th Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, was elected in 1986 by the 1st Plenary Session of the 4th Central Committee, in the immediate aftermath of the 4th National Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party</span>

The 2nd Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), officially the Political Bureau of the 2nd Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, was elected in 1972 by the 1st Plenary Session of the 2nd Central Committee, in the immediate aftermath of the 2nd National Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretariat of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party</span>

The Secretariat of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, known as the Executive Committee from 2006 to 2011, is an organ of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic centralism</span> Organisational principle of socialist/communist states and of communist parties

Democratic centralism is the organisational principle of communist states and of most communist parties to reach dictatorship of the proletariat. In practice, democratic centralism means that political decisions reached by voting processes are binding upon all members of the political party. It is mainly associated with Leninism, wherein the party's political vanguard of revolutionaries practice democratic centralism to select leaders and officers, determine policy, and execute it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party</span>

The National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party is the party's highest decision-making body. The LPRP has convened 11 congresses since its foundation in 1955, and eight since taking power in 1975. According to the party rules, the party congress is to be convened by the LPRP Central Committee (CC) every fifth year. It functions as a forum that approves party policy, is empowered to amend the party's charter and program, and elects the Central Committee. The party leadership, through the Political Report of the Central Committee, briefs the party on its work in the period since its last congress, and sets out future goals for the period in between the next congress.

Khampheng Boupha was a Laotian politician who served as a member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of the Lao Women's Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laos–Turkey relations</span> Bilateral relations

Laos–Turkey relations are the foreign relations between Laos and Turkey. Diplomatic relations at the legation level were established in 1947 and then to the rank of ambassador in 1958. It was not until December 27, 2017, however, that Turkey established a resident embassy in Laos’s capital, Vientiane.

The 2nd Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party was elected by the 2nd National Congress on 6 February 1972, and remained in session until the election of the 3rd Central Committee on 27 April 1982. In between convocations of the party congresses the Central Committee is the highest decision-making institution in the party. The 2nd Central Committee was not a permanent institution and delegated day-to-day work to elected central guidance bodies, such as the Politburo and the Secretariat. It convened meetings, known as "Plenary Session of the 2nd Central Committee", to discuss major policies. The 2nd CC was composed of 23 members and 6 alternates, and at its 1st Plenary Session on 6 February 1972 it elected a seven-man 2nd Politburo, a four-man 2nd Secretariat and elected Kaysone Phomvihane to the office General Secretary of the Central Committee. As well as electing the party's central bodies, the 2nd National Congress formulated the general party line of the 2nd CC. The line reaffirmed the party's commitment to the theories of national people's democratic revolution in Laos and of constructing socialism by bypassing capitalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party</span>

The 11th Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, officially the Political Bureau of the 11th Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, was elected at the 1st Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee in the immediate aftermath of the 11th National Congress in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party</span>

The 11th Central Committee was elected at the 11th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party on 15 January 2021, and is composed of 71 ordinary members and ten substitutes. As an institution, the Central Committee is the party's highest decision-making body between convocations of the National Congress, which convenes every fifth year. Since the LPRP has a monopoly on state power in Laos, the Central Committees formulates policies which the state implements. In between plenary sessions of the 11th Central Committee the 11th Politburo, is the party's highest decision-making body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Supreme People's Assembly of Laos</span>

The 1st Supreme People's Assembly of Laos was elected by the National Congress of People's Representatives on 2 December 1975. It was replaced by the 2nd Supreme People's Assembly on 1 June 1989.

References

Specific

  1. (in Japanese)Bouangeun Ounnalath. "Comparison on Salary System for Government between Lao PDR and Japan" (PDF). Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  2. "Lao People's Democratic Republic 1991 (rev. 2015)". constituteproject.org. Retrieved 18 August 2024.

Bibliography

Books:

Journal articles:

Report: