Laos undergoes leadership reshuffle

Alounxay Sounnalath (left) and Khamjane Vongphosy at the handover ceremony on Feb 2 in Vientiane. - VT

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): Laos has announced a high-level reshuffle of its leadership, less than one year after the new government assumed office last March.

Alounxay Sounnalath, who was previously Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union, now becomes Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office and Head of the Prime Minister’s Office, replacing Khamjane Vongphosy.

Khamjane now takes up a post at the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

This is the first reshuffle of leadership since the National Assembly approved the new cabinet members last year. The change took place after the government announced the need to implement two national agendas to address economic and financial difficulties and drug trafficking.

The reshuffle is aimed at strengthening administrative and government agencies in response to the changing needs of the nation to overcome challenges triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The handover of positions took place in Vientiane on Thursday, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Prof Dr Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune and other senior officials.

In the meantime, Monxay Laomuaxong who was previously the Deputy Governor of Luang Prabang province, has become the Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union, replacing Alounxay.

National Assembly member Bounta Thephavong, who was previously Deputy Secretary General of the Lao Youth Union, has taken up a new post at the National Assembly.

The handover took place in Vientiane on Wednesday (Feb 2), attended by Standing Member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat and Vice President of Laos, Dr Bounthong Chitmany, and other senior officials.

Dr Bounthong said the reshuffle was a common practice of the Party and State in response to the political needs of the country in the new era.

The reshuffle of state leaders is based on the principle of “up and down” and “in and out” as part of efforts to enhance the capacity and knowledge of leading officials and promote them to serve the nation, he added.

Elsewhere, in Xaysomboun province, Phoykham Houngbounyuang, who was previously the province’s Deputy Party Secretary, becomes the Party Secretary and Governor of the province, replacing Major General Khamlieng Outhakaysone.

Khamlieng now assumes a new post at the Ministry of National Defence after serving as the governor of Xaysomboun province for the past three years.

One of the most significant achievements of Khamlieng’s leadership was that provincial authorities were able to maintain security and social order, contributing significantly to socio-economic development and poverty reduction efforts in Xaysomboun.

The province’s new leadership has been instructed to strengthen solidarity among the ethnic Lao people and reinforce political building at the grass-root levels in association with work to maintain security as well as boost socio-economic development and poverty reduction efforts.