Head of state 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
.
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
[
edit
]
Background
[
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]
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
[
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]
Term limits
[
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]
The president is elected by the
National Assembly
for a term of five years, with no
term limits
. A candidate must receive at least two-thirds support from lawmakers present and voting in order to be elected.
Role and authority
[
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]
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
[
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]
Timeline
[
edit
]
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
Specific
[
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]
Bibliography
[
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]
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:
Report: