The 11th Central Committee was elected at the
11th National Congress of the
Lao People's Revolutionary Party
The Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the Laos, Lao People's Democratic Republic. The party's monopoly on state power is guaranteed by Article 3 of the Constitution of Laos, and it ...
on 15 January 2021, and is composed of 71 ordinary members and ten substitutes.
As an institution, the Central Committee is the party's highest decision-making body between convocations of the
National Congress, which convenes every fifth year. Since the LPRP has a monopoly on state power in Laos, the Central Committees formulates policies which the state implements. In between plenary sessions of the 11th Central Committee the
11th Politburo, is the party's highest decision-making body.
The numbers of members increased from 69 ordinary 8 substitutes in the
10th Central Committee to 71 ordinary and substitutes in the 11th.
Of the 71 ordinary members, twelve are women.
This is an increase from six in the 10th.
Military representation increased by one spot, from seven (10th) to eighth (11th).
Additionally, 36 members are aged 60 and over, that is 50,70% of members.
The remaining 40,30%, the remaining 35 members, are aged 46 to 59 years.
19 members, accounting for 26,76%, who joined the LPRP during the
Lao revolution.
Education wise the majority of members have passed a test in
Marxist–Leninist theory.
Of the 71 members, 28 have a
PhD (39,43%) and 27 who have a
master's Degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
(38,02%).
Many members of the 11th Central Committee were related by blood to former LPRP leaders.
Four members were the children of former LPRP Chairman
Khamtai Siphandon (
Sonexay,
Viengthong,
Viengsavath and
Athsaphangthong) and another three were the children of former LPRP General Secretary
Kaysone Phomvihane (
Saysomphone,
Santiphap and
Thongsavanh).
Of these, two of the term serve in the 11th Politburo (Saysomphone and Sonexay) and on in the
11th Secretariat (Viengthong)."
, the daughter of outgoing LPRP General Secretary
Bounnhang Vorachit, was also elected to the 11th.
Lao analyst Martin Stuart-Fox opine that "These promotions serve as a reminder of the extent to which powerful families still determine political outcomes in Laos — just as they did during the previous
Royal Lao regime."
Assistant Professor Simon Creak noted that the 11th Central Committee is the first elected leadership body not dominated by the revolutionary generation.
He also considered the possibility of there being a conflict between party leaders who've gained power through family patronage and those who rose through the party ranks by
technocratic means.
The former espouse more modern values, such as party discipline and
socialist state
A socialist state, socialist republic, or socialist country is a sovereign state constitutionally dedicated to the establishment of socialism. This article is about states that refer to themselves as socialist states, and not specifically ...
-building Creak contends.
However, Creak notes that "Speculation aside, talk of tension between patronage and technocratic socialism would be premature. Revolutionary family patronage networks are unlikely to fade anytime soon. Sonexay may have failed to leapfrog rivals, but the Siphandone family boosted its representation in the Central Committee, as did other influential families."
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References
{{Lao People's Revolutionary Party
2021 establishments in Laos
11th Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party