Day of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party

Day of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party is an observance in Laos held on March 22. It marks the anniversary of the founding of the party that has governed the country since 1975. Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) originates from the Indochinese Communist Party founded in 1930. Originally the ICP was entirely Vietnamese, but in 1936 a small “Lao section” was founded. Eventually this section developed into a communist resistance movement known as the Pathet Lao. On March 22, 1955, Lao’s People Party was officially proclaimed. It was a clandestine party that directed its activities through the Pathet Lao. In 1972, the party changed its name to the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. In 1975, the Pathet Lao overthrew the royal government, and the LPRP revealed itself to the public and became the ruling party in Laos. As Laos is a single-party state, the majority of the members of the country’s National Assembly are from the LDRP (some are independents). The party’s policy-making organs are the Politburo, Secretariat, and the Central Committee.