Phankham Viphavanh ( lo, ພັນຄຳ ວິພາວັນ; born 14 April 1951) is a Laotian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

, a member of the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...

and the

Executive Committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

of the

Lao People's Revolutionary Party The Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The party's monopoly on state power is guaranteed by Article 3 of the Constitution of Laos, and it maintains a unitary ...

. He became the

Prime Minister of Laos The Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, formerly the chairman of the Council of Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is the head of government of Laos. The highest position in the government, they direct the ...

, who was elected by the

National Assembly of Laos The National Assembly ( lo, ສະພາແຫ່ງຊາດ, translit=Sapha Heng Xat, french: Assemblée nationale) is the unicameral parliament of Laos. The National Assembly meets in Vientiane. Laos is a one-party state, with the Lao Peopl ...

in March 2021.Nhan Dan
/ref> He retired in December 2022. He was deputy minister in the prime minister's office from 2003 to 2005, then was elected to the eigth Party Central Committee in 2006, and became governor of

Houaphanh province Houaphanh province ( Laotian: ຫົວພັນ ; Romanization of Lao: ''Houaphan'') is a province in eastern Laos. Its capital is Xam Neua. Houaphanh province covers an area of . The province is bordered by Vietnam to the north, east, and s ...

. He was elected to politburo in 2011, and then held the position of Minister of Education and Sports. He was also the president of the Lao–Vietnam Friendship Association. In 2014, he became the

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

and in April 2016, he was elected as Vice President of Laos.

References