Prime Minister of Laos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic
National flag
National emblem
Incumbent Sonexay Siphandone since 30 December 2022
Executive branch Office of the Prime Minister
Style	Your Excellency
Member of	LPRP Central Committee LPRP Politburo
Residence	Building of the Office of the Prime Minister
Seat	Vientiane
Nominator	President
Appointer	National Assembly
Term length	Maximum of two five-year terms
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Laos Law on Government
Inaugural holder	Phetsarath Ratanavongsa
Formation	21 August 1941 (83 years ago) (1941-08-21)
Deputy	Deputy Prime Minister

The Prime Minister of Laos is the main leader of the government in Laos. This important role used to be called the Chairman of the Council of Government. The Prime Minister works under the President and the National Assembly. They are also guided by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), which is the only legal political party in the country. The current Prime Minister is Sonexay Siphandone, who took office in December 2022.

The idea of a prime minister in Laos began with the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang. Later, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Laos in 1947 officially created the job of Prime Minister for the Kingdom of Laos. When the Lao People's Democratic Republic was formed in 1975, the role of prime minister continued. The country's Constitution, approved in 1991, made the Prime Minister answerable to the President.

To become Prime Minister, a person must be at least 20 years old. While the law doesn't strictly say so, the Prime Minister is always a member of the LPRP. Every Prime Minister since 1975 has been a top leader in the party. The President suggests a candidate, and the National Assembly votes to elect them. The Prime Minister serves for five years and can hold the position for a maximum of two terms.

History of the Prime Minister Role

Early Beginnings

Laos had its first head of government on August 15, 1941. This was Phetsarath Ratanavongsa, who became Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang. Later, the Kingdom of Laos was formed in 1946. This was the first time Laos was a single, modern country.

A new constitution was created in 1947. It stated that Laos was a "unitary, indivisible and democratic kingdom." Prince Souvannarat became the first Prime Minister under this new constitution. The Kingdom of Laos had seven prime ministers until it ended on December 2, 1975.

From 1975 to 1991

The Lao People's Democratic Republic began on December 2, 1975. The role of prime minister was created again at this time. Many new government structures were set up, similar to those in other socialist countries like Vietnam. The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) was tasked with guiding the government.

The Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) became the only party in power. This meant the Prime Minister, the government, and the SPA all followed the party's decisions. The government was called the Council of Government. It was in charge of all state matters, including the economy, culture, and security.

The first Prime Minister of the Lao PDR was Kaysone Phomvihane. He was also the leader of the LPRP. His deputy prime ministers were also high-ranking party members. This showed that the party had a strong influence over the government.

In 1982, a new law changed the Prime Minister's title to Chairman of the Council of Government. This law aimed to encourage "collective leadership." This means that decisions would be made by a group, not just one person. The Council of Government held regular meetings.

For a long time, Laos did not have a constitution. This meant the party often made decisions without going through state structures. Finally, on August 14, 1991, the SPA approved the first constitution for the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Since 1991: The Modern System

The new constitution in 1991 changed the Chairman of the Council of Government back to Prime Minister. It also made the LPRP the "leading nucleus" of the state. The President's power increased, and the Prime Minister's power was reduced slightly. For example, the President gained the right to appoint and remove the Prime Minister and ministers.

The Prime Minister became responsible for guiding the work of government ministries and local leaders. The constitution was updated in 2013 and 2015. The 2015 changes gave the National Assembly the power to appoint and remove the Prime Minister and the government. This took that power away from the President.

Becoming Prime Minister

Who Can Be Prime Minister?

The constitution says that any Lao citizen aged 20 or older can be elected to office. This is true unless they have a mental disorder or their rights have been taken away by a court. The Law on Government doesn't list specific skills needed to be Prime Minister. However, it's understood that the Prime Minister must be a member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.

Since the role was created, every Prime Minister has been a top official in the party. They have all been members of the LPRP Central Committee and its Politburo. The Politburo is the party's highest decision-making group.

What the Prime Minister Does

How Long They Serve

The Prime Minister leads the government's executive branch. The government includes the Prime Minister, deputy prime ministers, and ministers. The government serves for the same length of time as the National Assembly, which is a maximum of five years.

No government official can serve more than two terms in a row. This means a person can be Prime Minister for a maximum of ten years. The old government stays in office until the new one is approved by the National Assembly. A Prime Minister can also resign if they need to leave office early.

Government Responsibilities

The constitution and the Law on Government explain the government's duties. The government makes sure the constitution and laws passed by the National Assembly are followed. It can also suggest new laws to the National Assembly.

The government has the power to issue rules about the economy, social management, and state structure. This also includes managing natural resources, the environment, defense, and foreign relations. The government creates plans for the economy and the national budget. These plans are then sent to the National Assembly for review.

With the National Assembly's approval, the government can create or combine ministries and provinces. It can also suggest changes to city and province borders. The government works to protect the rights of all citizens, including those living abroad. It can also grant or take away citizenship.

Leading the Government

As the head of government, the Prime Minister leads government meetings. They guide and control the activities of all ministries and local governments. The Prime Minister makes sure that plans and rules approved by the National Assembly are put into action.

The Prime Minister can suggest changes to the government's makeup. This includes proposing new deputy prime ministers or ministers to the National Assembly. They can also appoint or remove other high-level officials. At the local level, the Prime Minister can suggest new governors or mayors.

In the armed forces, the Prime Minister can promote or demote colonels. They can also suggest to the President the promotion or demotion of generals. The Prime Minister can approve or withdraw from international agreements with the National Assembly's permission.

The Prime Minister issues orders and decisions to carry out policies and state plans. They can temporarily stop or cancel decisions made by ministries or local governments if they go against laws. The Prime Minister reports on the government's work to the President and the National Assembly every year.

List of Prime Ministers

Prime Ministers of the Kingdom of Laos

No.	Prime Minister		Term of office			Political party		Monarch (Reign)
	Portrait	Name (Lifespan)	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Prince Phetsarath Ratanavongsa ເຈົ້າເພັດຊະຣາດ ຣັຕນະວົງສາ (1890–1959)	21 August 1941	10 October 1945	4 years, 50 days		Non-partisan	King Sisavang Vong (1904–1945)
—		Phaya Khammao ພະຍາ ຄຳມ້າວ (1892–1965)	12 October 1945	23 April 1946	193 days		Lao Issara	Prince Phetsarath Ratanavongsa (1945–1946)
2		Prince Kindavong ເຈົ້າກິນດາວົງສ໌ (1900–1951)	23 April 1946	15 March 1947	326 days		Non-partisan	King Sisavang Vong (1946–1959)
3		Prince Souvannarath ເຈົ້າສຸວັນນະຣາດ (1893–1960)	15 March 1947	25 March 1948	1 year, 10 days		Non-partisan
4		Prince Boun Oum ບຸນອຸ້ມ ນະ ຈຳປາສັກ (1911–1980)	25 March 1948	24 February 1950	1 year, 305 days		Non-partisan
5		Phoui Sananikone ຜຸຍ ຊະນະນິກອນ (1903–1983)	24 February 1950	15 October 1951	1 year, 233 days		Independent Party
6		Crown Prince Sisavang Vatthana ເຈົ້າສີສະຫວ່າງວັດທະນາ (1907–1978)	15 October 1951	21 November 1951	37 days		Non-partisan
7		Prince Souvanna Phouma ເຈົ້າສຸວັນນະພູມາ (1901–1984)	21 November 1951	25 October 1954	2 years, 338 days		National Progressive Party
8		Katay Don Sasorith ກະຕ່າຍ ໂດນສະໂສລິດ (1904–1959)	25 October 1954	21 March 1956	1 year, 148 days		National Progressive Party
(7)		Prince Souvanna Phouma ເຈົ້າສຸວັນນະພູມາ (1901–1984)	21 March 1956	17 August 1958	2 years, 149 days		National Progressive Party
(5)		Phoui Sananikone ຜຸຍ ຊະນະນິກອນ (1903–1983)	17 August 1958	31 December 1959	1 year, 136 days		Lao People's Rally
								King Sisavang Vatthana (1959–1975)
—		General Sounthone Pathammavong ສູນທອນ ປະຖຳມະວົງ (1911–1985)	31 December 1959	7 January 1960	7 days		Committee for the Defence of National Interests / Military
9		Kou Abhay ກຸ ອະໄພ (1892–1964)	7 January 1960	3 June 1960	148 days		Non-partisan
10		Prince Somsanith Vongkotrattana ເຈົ້າສົມສະນິດ ວົງກົຕຣັຕນະ (1913–1975)	3 June 1960	15 August 1960	73 days		Committee for the Defence of National Interests
(7)		Prince Souvanna Phouma ເຈົ້າສຸວັນນະພູມາ (1901–1984)	30 August 1960	13 December 1960	105 days		Lao People's Rally
		Quinim Pholsena ກວີນິມ ພົລເສນາ (1915–1963) (not recognized)	11 December 1960	13 December 1960	2 days		Peace and Neutrality Party
(4)		Prince Boun Oum ບຸນອຸ້ມ ນະ ຈຳປາສັກ (1911–1980)	13 December 1960	23 June 1962	1 year, 192 days		Non-partisan
(7)		Prince Souvanna Phouma ເຈົ້າສຸວັນນະພູມາ (1901–1984)	23 June 1962	2 December 1975	13 years, 162 days		Lao Neutralist Party

Prime Ministers of the Lao People's Democratic Republic

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			President(s)
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Kaysone Phomvihane ໄກສອນ ພົມວິຫານ (1920–1992)	8 December 1975	15 August 1991	15 years, 250 days	Souphanouvong
						Phoumi Vongvichit
2		Khamtai Siphandone ຄຳໄຕ ສີພັນດອນ (1924–2025)	15 August 1991	16 February 1998	6 years, 193 days	Kaysone Phomvihane
						Nouhak Phoumsavanh
3		Sisavath Keobounphanh ສີສະຫວາດ ແກ້ວບຸນພັນ (1928–2020)	16 February 1998	27 March 2001	3 years, 31 days	Khamtai Siphandone
4		Bounnhang Vorachit ບຸນຍັງ ວໍລະຈິດ (born 1937)	27 March 2001	8 June 2006	5 years, 73 days
5		Bouasone Bouphavanh ບົວສອນ ບຸບຜາວັນ (born 1954)	8 June 2006	23 December 2010	4 years, 198 days	Choummaly Sayasone
6		Thongsing Thammavong ທອງສິງ ທຳມະວົງ (born 1944)	23 December 2010	20 April 2016	5 years, 119 days
7		Thongloun Sisoulith ທອງລຸນ ສີສຸລິດ (born 1945)	20 April 2016	22 March 2021	4 years, 336 days	Bounnhang Vorachith
8		Phankham Viphavanh ພັນຄຳ ວິພາວັນ (born 1951)	22 March 2021	30 December 2022	1 year, 283 days	Thongloun Sisoulith
9		Sonexay Siphandone ສອນ​ໄຊ ສີ​ພັນ​ດອນ (born 1966)	30 December 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 215 days

Timeline of Prime Ministers

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Primeros ministros de Laos para niños