Bouasone Bouphavanh (born June 3, 1954 in Ban Tao Poun, Muang Salavan,
Salavan ProvinceSalavan is a province of Laos, located in the south of the country.The province is located on the Bolaven Plateau.-Administrative divisions:The province is made up of the following districts:...
) is the
prime ministerThe Prime Minister of Laos is head of the Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos .This is a list of prime ministers of Laos....
of
LaosLaos , officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. He was officially appointed to the office by the
National Assembly of LaosThe unicameral National Assembly of Laos is the parliament of Laos. It was established in its current form by the Lao Constitution of 1991 , replacing the Supreme People's Assembly. After the December 1997 elections, the number of seats were increased to 99, a new structure was announced and...
on June 8, 2006, during a major government reshuffle. He replaced
Bounnhang VorachithBounnhang Vorachith is the vice president of Laos. He served as deputy prime minister from 1996 to 2001, and then was appointed prime minister. He became vice president on June 8, 2006 when Bouasone Bouphavanh was appointed prime minister.He is member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.-...
who became vice president. Bouasone had previously served as first deputy prime minister since October 3, 2003. Before that, he was third deputy prime minister and was president of the State Planning Committee.
He was educated at a primary school and secondary school in Salavanh Province and Champasak Province from 1961-1974 and at the Communist Party Institute in
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, former
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
, from 1986-1990.
Trained in the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
and appointed prime minister at the age of 52, Bouasone is part of a new generation of leaders in the
Lao People's Revolutionary PartyThe Lao People's Revolutionary Party is a communist political party that has governed Laos since 1975. The policy-making organs are the politburo and the central committee. A party congress, which elects members to the politburo and central committee, is held every five years...
, harbingering a possible shift in Laos' traditional firm reliance on its ties to
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
, to increased reliance and cooperation with
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.
Bouasone Bouphavanh (born June 3, 1954 in Ban Tao Poun, Muang Salavan,
Salavan ProvinceSalavan is a province of Laos, located in the south of the country.The province is located on the Bolaven Plateau.-Administrative divisions:The province is made up of the following districts:...
) is the
prime ministerThe Prime Minister of Laos is head of the Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos .This is a list of prime ministers of Laos....
of
LaosLaos , officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. He was officially appointed to the office by the
National Assembly of LaosThe unicameral National Assembly of Laos is the parliament of Laos. It was established in its current form by the Lao Constitution of 1991 , replacing the Supreme People's Assembly. After the December 1997 elections, the number of seats were increased to 99, a new structure was announced and...
on June 8, 2006, during a major government reshuffle. He replaced
Bounnhang VorachithBounnhang Vorachith is the vice president of Laos. He served as deputy prime minister from 1996 to 2001, and then was appointed prime minister. He became vice president on June 8, 2006 when Bouasone Bouphavanh was appointed prime minister.He is member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party.-...
who became vice president. Bouasone had previously served as first deputy prime minister since October 3, 2003. Before that, he was third deputy prime minister and was president of the State Planning Committee.
He was educated at a primary school and secondary school in Salavanh Province and Champasak Province from 1961-1974 and at the Communist Party Institute in
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, former
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
, from 1986-1990.
Trained in the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
and appointed prime minister at the age of 52, Bouasone is part of a new generation of leaders in the
Lao People's Revolutionary PartyThe Lao People's Revolutionary Party is a communist political party that has governed Laos since 1975. The policy-making organs are the politburo and the central committee. A party congress, which elects members to the politburo and central committee, is held every five years...
, harbingering a possible shift in Laos' traditional firm reliance on its ties to
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
, to increased reliance and cooperation with
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. He ranks seventh in the Politburo. In 1975, shortly before the fall of
VientianeVientiane is the capital city of Laos, situated in the Mekong Valley. It is also Laos's largest city. The estimated population of the city is 200,000 while the number of people living in the Vientiane metropolitan area is believed to be over 730,000...
to the
Pathet LaoThe Pathet Lao was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after a civil war, or insurgent revolution, lasting from the 1950s to 1975. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with...
, he was a student activist who played a key role in protests against the previous regime. He is considered a protege of former party leader
Khamtai SiphandonGeneral Khamtai Siphandon is the former president of Laos. He served from February 24, 1998 until June 8, 2006, when he was officially replaced by Choummaly Sayasone....
.