President of Laos

This article is about the current head of state of Laos. For the head of state during the Kingdom of Laos and before, see List of monarchs of Laos.

President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic
ປະທານປະເທດ ແຫ່ງ ສປປ ລາວ
National Emblem
National Flag
Incumbent Thongloun Sisoulith since 22 March 2021
Executive branch of the State Office of the Presidency
Style	His Excellency
Type	Head of state
Member of	LPRP Central Committee LPRP Politburo LPRP Secretariat LPRP Defence Commission
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
Formation	2 December 1975 (1975-12-02)
Deputy	Vice President
Salary	1,170,000 Kip per month

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.

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.

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.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Election	Prime minister(s)
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Souphanouvong ສຸພານຸວົງ (1909–1995)	2 December 1975	29 October 1986	10 years, 331 days	None	Kaysone Phomvihane
–		Phoumi Vongvichit ພູມີ ວົງວິຈິດ (1909–1994) Acting	29 October 1986	15 August 1991	4 years, 290 days	None	Kaysone Phomvihane
2		Kaysone Phomvihane ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ (1920–1992)	15 August 1991	21 November 1992	1 year, 98 days	1991	Khamtai Siphandon
3		Nouhak Phoumsavanh ໜູຮັກ ພູມສະຫວັນ (1910–2008)	25 November 1992	24 February 1998	5 years, 91 days	None	Khamtai Siphandon
4		Khamtai Siphandone ຄຳໄຕ ສີພັນດອນ (born 1924)	24 February 1998	8 June 2006	8 years, 104 days	1996	Sisavath Keobounphanh
						2001	Bounnhang Vorachith
5		Choummaly Sayasone ຈູມມະລີ ໄຊຍະສອນ (born 1936)	8 June 2006	20 April 2016	9 years, 317 days	2006	Bouasone Bouphavanh
						2011	Thongsing Thammavong
6		Bounnhang Vorachit ບຸນຍັງ ວໍລະຈິດ (born 1937)	20 April 2016	22 March 2021	4 years, 336 days	2016	Thongloun Sisoulith
7		Thongloun Sisoulith ທອງລຸນ ສີສຸລິດ (born 1945)	22 March 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 246 days	2021	Phankham Viphavanh
							Sonexay Siphandone

Timeline

See also

• List of monarchs of Laos
• Vice President of Laos
• Prime Minister of Laos

References

Bibliography

Books:

• Brown, MacAlister; Zasloff, Joseph J. (1986). Apprentice Revolutionaries: The Communist Movement in Laos, 1930–1985. Hoover Institution Press. ISBN 0-8179-8122-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• John, Ronald Bruce St. (2006). Revolution, Reform and Regionalism in Southeast Asia. Routledge. ISBN 0-203-09947-8.
• Norindr, Chou (1982). "Political Institutions of the Lao People's Democratic Republic". In Stuart-Fox, Martin (ed.). Contemporary Laos: Studies in the Politics and Society of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. University of Queensland Press. ISBN 0-7022-1840-5.
• Stuart-Fox, Martin (2008). Historical Dictionary of Laos. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-81086-411-5.
• Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). Laos: Politics, Economics, and Society. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 978-1-55587-004-1.

Journal articles:

• Bui, Ngoc Son (2019). "Constitutional amendment in Laos". International Journal of Constitutional Law. 17 (3). Oxford University Press: 756–86. doi:10.1093/icon/moz067.
• Creak, S. & Sayalath, S. (2017). "Regime Renewal in Laos: The Tenth Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party" (PDF). Southeast Asian Affairs: 179–200. doi:10.1355/9789814762878-014. S2CID 157560697.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Creak, Simon (2011). "Laos: Celebrations and Development Debates". Southeast Asian Affairs: 107–128. doi:10.1355/9789814345040-010. ISBN 9789814345040. JSTOR 41418640. S2CID 155598922.
• Huxley. Andrew (1991). "The Draft Constitution of the Laotian People's Democratic Republic". Review of Socialist Law. 17 (1). Brill Publishers: 75–78. doi:10.1163/187529891X00037.
• Johnson, Stephen T. (January 1992). "Laos in 1991: Year of the Constitution". Asian Survey. 32 (1). University of California Press: 82–87. doi:10.2307/2645202. JSTOR 2645202.
• Stuart-Fox, Martin (1991). "The Constitution of the Lao People's Democratic Republic". Review of Socialist Law. 17 (4). Brill Publishers: 299–317. doi:10.1163/187529891X00244.

Report:

• Brown, MacAlister; Zasloff, Joseph J. (1995). "Chapter 4: Government and Politics". In Savada, Andrea Matles (ed.). Laos: a Country Study (PDF). Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. pp. 203–52.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)