Moments ago, the Party Central Committee (PCC) of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party officially elected Thongloun Sisoulith to be its highest official.
The 75-year-old current prime minister won the leadership vote on Friday at the five-yearly congress of the PCC. The composition of the Politburo, the most powerful political body in the country, was also decided.
The Party voted to expand the current number of 11 members to 13. The four newest members of the Politburo are Kikeo Khaykhampithoun (current Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism), Major General Vilay Lakhamfong (current Minister of Public Security), Sisay Leudethmounsone, and Saleumxay Kommasith (current Minister of Foreign Affairs).
The outgoing Party Leader and President, Bounnhang Vorachit, 83, who held both posts since 2016, decided not to stand for re-election. Apart from Mr. Bounnhang, Chansy Phosikham was the other Politburo member who also stepped down from the ruling body.
Mr. Thongloun was top of the list of a new 71-member central committee announced on Friday, which saw 30 former central committee members retire.
Following the establishment of the new Party leadership, it is expected that the new prime minister and government cabinet posts will be announced in the coming months by the National Assembly.
They were elected by 768 delegates, who represented all 348,686 Party members at the congress, held every five years to elect the new leadership.
