Lao National Party Congress closes with election of new leader

The 10th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), Laos' most significant political event, came to a close on Friday afternoon here after the election of the party leader.

Earlier on Friday afternoon, the LPRP announced the election of Bounnhang Vorachit to a five-year term Party Secretary General.

The incoming Secretary-General was congratulated with flowers and applause from the assembled delegates before a procession in traditional costume carried flags through the headquarters of the Lao National Convention Centre in the Lao capital.

In his keynote speech, Bounnhang Vorachit, 78, noted the success of the congress and its endorsement of the Party's proposed policy platform which aims to continue leading Laos to a new stage of development as the country closes in on the goal of graduating from the ranks of the world's least-developed countries (LDC) by 2020.

After the results were announced, Secretary-General Bounnhang delivered the resolutions of the 10th Party Congress to the assembled delegates.

"The Lao People's Revolutionary Party will continue its comprehensive process of self-renewal, seriously implement the 10 resolutions in order to seek Laos' graduation from the list of least developed countries by 2020 and achieve the status of upper- middle income country by 2030 while progressing along the socialist path," Secretary-General Bounnhang said.

During the Congress, a 69-member Party Central Committee was formed on Thursday before the naming of a new 11-member Politburo on Friday, both of which begin five-year tenures.

Some 685 delegates representing more than 260,000 Party members nationwide gathered in Vientiane for the Congress, which began on Jan. 18.

Delegates heard a political report by the outgoing 9th Party Central Committee Secretary-General and President of Laos Choummaly Sayasone on the Party's achievements and challenges since the last Congress in 2011.

Also reviewed by delegates was Laos' 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2016-2020, containing the country's major policy directions for the next five years, and amendments to the Party Statute.