National Assembly
The National Assembly of Laos is the supreme state organ of power and formally holds the unified powers of the state. It is the only state organ that can adopt or amend the communist state constitution, which was adopted on 14 August 1991. The National Assembly is officially considered the embodiment of popular sovereignty since it is elected through elections in which candidates are vetted by the National Election Committee. The LPRP, state organs, the Lao Front for National Development, the largest transmission-belt mass organization in the country, and other transmission-belt mass organizations are allowed to nominate candidates to the National Election Committee, which can either approve or reject them.
The National Assembly is not a permanent organ, and in between its sessions it is led by its permanent organ, the Standing Committee. As the state's highest organ, the National Assembly is superior to all other state organs and accountable to it under democratic centralism, since, according to the constitution, "The National Assembly, the Local People's Assemblies and other state organisations are established and function in accordance with the principle of democratic centralism." As a result, the National Assembly establishes all other state organs that make up the unified state apparatus per the division of labour of state organs. The constitution has created the following hierarchy of state organs: the National Assembly as the highest, followed by the president of Laos, the government of Laos, the system of people's councils and their governments, the People's Supreme Court, the People's Supreme Procuratorate, the State Inspection Authority, the State Audit Organisation, and the National Election Committee. All these organs are, in theory, accountable to the National Assembly.
The National Assembly and its Standing Committee are headed by a chair and vice chairs. The chair concurrently serves ex officio as a member of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, the Central Committee, and the Politburo. The National Assembly is empowered to adopt and amend laws and legislation. It can decide whether Laos should approve, withdraw, or cancel international treaties. The National Assembly is responsible for adopting a five-year work plan for itself and for all inferior state organs. It can rescind legislation issued by other state organs if it conflicts with adopted laws or the constitution. The National Assembly also adopts a five-year plan for economic development, known as the National Socio-Economic Development Plan, and a state budget plan. It has the right to hold individuals it elects or appoints to state organs accountable for their work and to check whether these individuals are implementing the policies adopted by the National Assembly. Since it is not in permanent session, the National Assembly delegates some of its powers to its Standing Committee under the constitution, and it can delegate specific powers through a majority vote at one of its sessions. All inferior state organs and the Lao Front for National Development can propose legislation and amendments to the constitution to the National Assembly.
The president is the head of state and concurrently serves as the LPRP general secretary. The president is bound by a term limit of two consecutive electoral terms. The president is empowered to promulgate the constitution and the laws of the state, issue presidential decrees and edicts, convene and preside over special sessions of the government, and attend sessions of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly if deemed necessary. The president can instigate the appointment, reassignment, and removal of deputy prime ministers and members of the government, the vice president of the People's Supreme Court and the Deputy People's Supreme Procurator, the vice president of the State Audit Organisation, and the vice president of the State Inspection Authority on the approval of the National Assembly. Should the president be incapacitated, the vice president takes over duties.
The government is the supreme executive and administrative organ of state power and is headed by the prime minister, who serves as head of government. The prime minister is elected by the National Assembly on the president's recommendation. No member of the government may serve more than two electoral terms. The members of the government are dually responsible to the president and the National Assembly, and can be removed by the National Assembly through a vote of no confidence. The government is responsible for leading state economic policy and administering the Laotian state on behalf of the National Assembly and the LPRP.
The National Assembly heads the system of people's councils and the system of state organs of power, which control the state apparatus at lower levels, and these lower-level people's councils elect the people's governments at their corresponding levels. People's councils exist at the provincial, district, and village levels. Their powers mirror those of the National Assembly in their own jurisdiction. The people's governments at the provincial, district, and village levels are elected by the people's councils and are accountable to them, and to the government as the supreme executive and administrative organ of state power.
Laos has two judicial organs: the People’s Supreme Court (PSC), the supreme judicial organ, and the People's Supreme Procuratorate (PSP), the supreme procuratorial organ. Both are considered political organs because they implement the political line adopted by the National Assembly, which operates under the LPRP's leadership. The PSC is solely focused on adjudication. It heads the unified system of judicial organs and leads nationwide judicial work. The PSP monitors the implementation of the constitution and laws in all state organs and society at large. It is also empowered to initiate investigations against suspected wrongdoers and file cases against defendants in court.
Auditing and anti-corruption work are the responsibility of the State Audit Organisation (SAO), the supreme auditing organ, and the State Inspection Authority (SIA), the supreme supervisory organ. SAO is tasked with conducting an audit of the use of the state budget, finances, and use of state assets. It is responsible for auditing all state organs, transmission belt mass organisations, and organisations financed by the state budget, state funds, or state assets. The SAO president is responsible to the National Assembly and its permanent organ, as well as to the prime minister. The SIA leads anti-corruption work in all state organisations and organisations financed from the state budget, state funds, and state assets.
The National Election Committee (NEC) is a non-permanent organ elected by the National Assembly. It is responsible for organising the elections of the people's councils and the National Assembly. The NEC sets the date of election day, which is promulgated through a presidential decree. It is also responsible for disseminating election information to the public. The NEC also plans the composition of the National Assembly. For the 2026 Laotian legislative election, for example, it set a target of at least 30% of elected members being female.
