Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party

The Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) is the party's highest decision-making body. The LPRP has convened 10 congresses since its foundation in 1955, and eight since taking power in 1975. According to the party rules, the party congress is to be convened by the LPRP Central Committee (CC) every fifth year. It functions as a forum that approves party policy (such as the five-year plans), is empowered to amend the party's charter and program, and elects the Central Committee.[1][2] The party leadership, through the Political Report of the Central Committee, briefs the party on its work in the period since its last congress, and sets out future goals for the period in between the next congress.[3]

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The congress has been convened in March since the 5th Congress in 1991. According to Martin Sturt-Fox this suggest an ideological cohesion within the party, and its leadership. The 4th Congress introduced the "New Economic Mechanism" (NEM, market reforms).[1] Partly for introducing NEM, the 4th Congress is the last congress to be postponed due to political infighting.[1] Due to the party's secret nature, it's hard to discern the work and the political intrigues which takes place before the congress.[1] In the run-up to party congresses, outside observers try to discern factional intrigues, usually between two supposedly "pro-Chinese" and "pro-Vietnamese" or "pro-reform" and "anti-reform" camps.[1] Despite this, there seems to be broad agreement within the party on the path its pursuing: that is, creating a socialist market economic model and attracting foreign direct investment.[4]

Keys
Abbreviations
CC Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party
FM Full member (a member with voting rights).
AM Alternate member (a member without voting rights).
Political Report Political Report to the Central Committee, a document which briefs delegates about the period since the last congress and future work.
PMR Party members represented at the congress by delegates (the party membership at the time).

Convocations
Congress Duration
(start—end)		 Delegates CC
elected		 Political Report
(presented by)		 PMR
1st Congress
1 day
None		 22 March 1955 25 5 None ~400
2nd Congress
4 days
1972 election		 3 February
–
6 February 1972		 125 21 FM
–
6 AM		 Kaysone Phomvihane 21,000
3rd Congress
4 days
1981–1982 election		 27 April
–
30 April 1982		 228 49 FM
–
6 AM		 Kaysone Phomvihane 35,000
4th Congress
3 days
1985–1986 election		 13 November
–
15 November 1986		 300 51 FM
–
9 AM		 Kaysone Phomvihane 40,000
5th Congress
3 days
1990–1991 election		 27 March
–
29 March 1991		 367 55 FM
–
44 AM		 Kaysone Phomvihane 60,000
6th Congress
3 days
1995–1996 election		 18 March
–
20 March 1996		 381 49 Khamtai Siphandon 78,000
7th Congress
3 days
2000–2001 election		 12 March
–
14 March 2001		 452 53 Khamtai Siphandon 100,000
8th Congress
4 days
2005–2006 election		 18 March
–
21 March 2006		 498 55 Khamtai Siphandon 148,590
9th Congress
5 days
2010–2011 election		 17 March
–
21 March 2011		 576 61 Choummaly Sayasone 191,700
10th Congress
5 days
2015–2016 election		 18 January
–
22 January 2016		 685 69
–
8 AM		 Choummaly Sayasone 252,879
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References

General

Information on congresses, number of delegates, number of people elected to CCs, party membership, the individual who presented the Political Report and information on when the congress was convened can be found in these sources:

Bibliography

Articles and journals:

Specific
  1. Stuart-Fox 2007, p. 161.
  2. Thayer 1983, p. 89.
  3. Thayer 1983, p. 85.
  4. Stuart-Fox 2007, p. 162.
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