The Politburo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party is the highest decision-making organ of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party when the Central Committee is not convened for a plenary session.
The Politburo of the Central Committee was established at the 2nd LPRP National Congress, held on 3–6 February 1972.[1] Seven members were elected to the first Politburo, known as the 2nd Politburo. Of these seven members four concurrently served as members of the 2nd Secretariat.[1]
Pany Yathotou became the first woman and first of Hmong ethnicity to be elected to the Politburo (she was elected in 2006 to the 8th Politburo). Women representation on the Politburo increased during the 11th term of the Central Committee, when both Yathotou and Sisay Leudetmounsone were elected to the 11th Politburo.[2]
| Term | Members | Period | Duration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Reelected | Start | End | |||
| 2nd | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 February 1972 | 30 April 1982 | ||
| 3rd | 7 | 0 | 7 | 30 April 1982 | 15 November 1986 | ||
| 4th | 13 | 0 | 8 | 15 November 1986 | 29 March 1991 | ||
| 5th | 11 | 0 | 5 | 29 March 1991 | 20 March 1996 | ||
| 6th | 9 | 0 | 8 | 20 March 1996 | 18 March 2001 | ||
| 7th | 11 | 0 | 9 | 14 March 2001 | 21 March 2006 | ||
| 8th | 10 | 1 | 8 | 21 March 2006 | 21 March 2011 | ||
| 9th | 10 | 1 | 5 | 21 March 2011 | 22 January 2016 | ||
| 10th | 10 | 1 | 9 | 22 January 2016 | 15 January 2021 | ||
| 11th | 11 | 2 | 15 January 2021 | Incumbent | |||
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