Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....

 Choummaly Sayasone (Lao

Lao language

Lao or Laotian is a tonal language of the Tai–Kadai language family. It is the official language of Laos, and also spoken in the northeast of Thailand, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language. Being the primary language of the Lao people, Lao is also an important second language for...

: ຈູມມະລີ ໄຊຍະສອນ; born March 6, 1936 in Attapu

Attapu

Attapeu , Attopu or Attapu is the capital of Attapeu Province, Laos. It is the southernmost among provincial capitals in Laos opposite Phongsali in the north....

) is General Secretary

General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party is the office of the highest-ranking member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party- and the de facto leader of Laos. From 1991-2006, the office was titled Chairman of the Central Committee of the Lao People's...

 of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party

Lao People's Revolutionary Party

The 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...

 and President

President of Laos

The President of Laos is the head of state of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.The office of the President was created in 1975, after the takeover of the country by the Pathet Lao, which abolished the monarchy. A member of the deposed royal family, Prince Souphanouvong, was the first...

 of the Lao People's Democratic Republic

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

. He was elected as Party General Secretary on March 21, 2006, by the Party's 8th Congress, succeeding Khamtai Siphandon

Khamtai Siphandon

General Khamtai Siphandon is a Laotian politician who was President of Laos from February 24, 1998, until June 8, 2006, when he was officially replaced by Choummaly Sayasone....

, and he subsequently succeeded Siphandon as President on June 8, 2006.

Choummaly joined the Party's Politburo

Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party

The Politburo of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, formerly the Standing Committee of the Central Committee, includes the top leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party...

 in 1991 and served as Vice President

Vice President of Laos

Vice President of Laos is the political position in Laos created in 1996. The Vice President is elected by the National Assembly of Laos.The history of the office holders follows.-See also:*President of Laos*List of current Vice Presidents...

from 2001 to 2006. He also served for a time as Minister of Defence (1991–2001).

In June 2011, he was retained his position as President of Laos at the Seventh Lao National Assembly.