President of Laos

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.

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.

The head of state is the commander-in-chief of the Lao People's Armed Forces. Since Laos is a one-party state, with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party as the only legally permitted party, all the presidents of the People's Democratic Republic have been members of the party while holding office.

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.

The current president is Bounnhang Vorachith, since 20 April 2016. He is also the General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, ranking him first in the Politburo hierarchy.[2]

Books:

• Brown, MacAlister; Zasloff, Joseph J. (1986). Apprentice Revolutionaries: The Communist Movement in Laos, 1930–1985. Hoover Institution Press. ISBN 0-8179-8122-5.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. Oxford University Press. 17 (3): 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.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. JSTOR 41418640.
• Huxley. Andrew (1991). "The Draft Constitution of the Laotian People's Democratic Republic". Review of Socialist Law. Brill Publishers. 17 (1): 75–78. doi:10.1163/187529891X00037.
• Johnson, Stephen T. (January 1992). "Laos in 1991: Year of the Constitution". Asian Survey. 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. Brill Publishers. 17 (4): 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.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)