South East Asian Trips

Laos is a communist state, and has been one for the past quarter of a century. In 1975, the communists toppled the royalists (Laos had been a monarchy for over 6 centuries), and took over the country. Initially, the government's stance was rigidly leftist; however, there has been a marked change in the recent past. Privatisation and foreign investment have increased, and the country was admitted to membership of ASEAN in 1997. Laos is divided into 16 provinces, 1 municipality and 1 special zone and is currently headed by a President, Mr. Nouhak Phoumsavan. The head of government is the Prime Minister, Khamtai Siphandon, and legislative functions are in the hands of a unicameral Parliament. The only recognised political party is the ruling one, the LPRP (the Lao People's Revolutionary Party) - all other political parties and pressure groups are proscribed. Suffrage in the country is universal and the voting age is 18 years.