Politburo Changes Expected in Laos
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
Published on March 17, 2011
Laos' ruling People's Revolutionary Party will today convene a five-day congress to choose a new set of leaders and map out a strategic plan for development over the next five years.
It will be the ninth congress of the party that has ruled the country since its revolutionary victory in 1975 and remained committed to Marxist-Leninist political economy.
Laos is one of only five communist regimes left in the world.
The congress will see some changes to the 11-member politburo, the party's decision-making core, as some members will step down, a party source said.
Secretary general Choummaly Sayasone will likely retain his position as head of the party and bring some new faces into the inner circle to tighten his grip on power, the source said.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/03 ... 51079.html
Government Changes Coming to Laos
- Gaybutton
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Re: Government Changes Coming to Laos
I'd be interested to know which these are.Gaybutton wrote:Laos is one of only five communist regimes left in the world.
Communism has been such a complete & utter failure that many of the communist parties have reformed their countries to the extent they run something more like Victorian era capitalism than communism.
Laos is a lovely country, but the faster they ditch communism, the better it will be for their people.
Re: Government Changes Coming to Laos
They are, I believe, China, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea and Cuba. There are others places, such as Belarus, with 100% state ownership and the probably mad and certainly evil Lukashenko in charge, who might as well be.I'd be interested to know which these are.
Up to a point. The problem with totalitarian states is that they concentrate all the power into the hands of the ruling party. Just kick it out, and you face the danger of total anarchy with someone as bad, or worse, taking over. That is the problem the Chinese (so far successfully) have been dealing with since the death of Mao. Maybe "the faster they ditch communism, without precipitating a total social breakdown...."the faster they ditch communism, the better it will be for their people.
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Re: Government Changes Coming to Laos
Let's not forget Burma. Maybe it's not a Communist country, but it might as well be.ceejay wrote:They are, I believe, China, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea and Cuba.
Re: Government Changes Coming to Laos
Whilst China and Vietnam might be run by "Communist" parties, their reforms are such that private enterprises thrive & in some respects their economies have less socialism than many European countries. I gather some Vietnamese are returning home from the US, lured by lower taxes and better opportunities.ceejay wrote:They are, I believe, China, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea and Cuba.
Clearly North Korea and Cuba are still communist basket cases.
As for Laos, irrespective of what government is in power, it's a lovely country to visit.