Fifth Party Congress paves way for improved political system, faster development

• published: 19 Jan 2016
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Footage from Cinema Department, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism www.vientianetimes.org.la Vientiane Times is publishing a series of articles detailing the development and leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party to mark the 10th Party Congress which takes place this month. Sixteen years after Laos was liberated with the proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic on December 2, 1975, the Party leadership recognised the need to improve the political system and enhance the Party's leadership role to accelerate development nationwide. Against this backdrop, the Party convened its fifth congress in Vientiane on March 27-29, 1991, to review the Party's leadership performance over the past five years, set out the next five-year roadmap and elect new Party leaders. The fifth congress was attended by 367 delegates who represented the Party's 60,000 members across the country and elected 59 members of the Party Central Committee. In its first plenum, the fifth Party Central Committee re-elected Mr Kaysone Phomvihane as President of the Party Central Committee. Eleven members were elected as members of the Politburo. Top of the agenda at the congress was the improvement of the organisational structure of the people's democratic political system and its working methods. In this regard, the direction for the improvement of the political system was more clearly defined. The congress approved the Party's amended statute, aiming to build the Party appropriately in the new era. The Lao People's Revolutionary Party upheld the general essence of Marxism and Leninism as its basic theoretical concept along with acknowledging the world's top intellectuals and making use of scientific theories and valuable lessons learnt from foreign countries that matched the situation in Laos. The Party attached great importance to enhancing the national patriotic tradition and building solidarity among the multi-ethnic people. The Party resolved to follow centralised and democracy-based principles and impose strict discipline. The congress defined the stages and characteristics of the Lao revolution in the new period. It was agreed that Laos would continue to build and expand the peo ple's democratic regime, creating the necessary factors to achieve socialism. In this regard, the congress laid out the directions and duties that the entire Party and people should follow: continue to carry out the renovation task comprehensively while enhancing solidarity among the multi-ethnic people. To realise the resolutions of the congress, the Party Central Committee held a number of plenums to translate the resolutions into a detailed work plan. Under the leadership of the fifth Party Central Committee, Laos had established a solid foundation towards creating a state governed by the rule of law. In its second plenum that took place in May 1991, the Party Central Committee considered a draft of the first constitution of the Lao People's Democratic Republic which was subsequently adopted by the National Assembly in August of the same year. This sixth ordinary session of the National Assembly's Second Legislature also unanimously elected Mr Kaysone Phomvihane as the country's presid ent and Mr Khamtay Siphandone as prime minister. However, the country suffered a great loss when the people's beloved President Kaysone Phomvihane passed away on November 21, 1992. The late president was remembered as a staunch patriot, a genuine revolutionary, a capable leader, an intellectual and a wise practitioner. After the passing of the Party and state leader, the Party Central Committee held an extraordinary session on November 24, 1992, and unanimously elected Mr Khamtay Siphandone as President of the Party Central Committee. On November 25, 1992, the National Assembly's Second Legislature held an extraordinary session and elected Mr Nouhak Phoumsavanh as President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. In February 1993, the Party Central Committee held its Sixth Plenum and assessed the initial succes s in implementing the renovation policy. It observed that in 1992, gross domestic product (GDP) had risen by 6 percent compared to 1990. In addition, economic infrastructure expanded after more than 40 percent of the state's annual budget was invested in this sector each year. Relations and cooperation with foreign countries continued to grow. In 1992, some 22 foreign countries invested in 104 projects in Laos, spending about US$176 million. Nevertheless, the plenum observed that economic growth was not steady enough and as yet there was no firm foundation to guarantee sustained growth. In order to accelerate and sustain socio-economic development and address its shortcomings, the sixth plenum defined a socio-economic development roadmap for the period 1993-2000 and its ambitious goals.