With his appointment as secretary-general of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), Lt-General Choummaly, regarded in Vientiane as one of Khamtay's most trusted comrades, will lead the party for at least the next five years.

Diplomats said the new leadership line-up established at the LPRP's eighth party congress, which ended yesterday, reflected continuity of power and a smooth transition within the party, and expected no dramatic change in the country.

Khamtay, 82, and adviser Nouhak Phoumsavanh, 94, both of whom joined the party at its founding more than half a century ago, retired from all party positions.

"We assure both senior comrades, who are members of the party's founding generation, that we will continue the spirit of unity within the party and its mission to carry out innovation for our beloved nation," said new party leader Choummaly, who is also deputy head of state.

The title "secretary-general" was restored as the official title of the party chief, after being replaced with the title "president" at the fifth congress in 1991.

The change in the official title had no major significance in terms of the overall power structure, as both terms refer to the party's top leader, said Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, who was appointed to the decision-making politburo as part of the changes.

Laos would continue its tradition of having a single person serve as both head of the ruling party and head of state, he said. This means that Choummaly, as head of state, will hold the position of national president after the April 30 election.

Now in his 70s, Choummaly joined the communist party as a fighter in the early years of its struggle to topple the previous royal regime. He spent many years on the battlefield before taking a leadership role in the army.

Since the communist victory in 1975, he has served as military chief of staff, army chief and minister of defence. He stepped into the party's decision-making inner circle as a member of the politburo at the third party congress in 1981.

At its eighth congress, the party also made Pany Yatorthou, a daughter of national hero Yatorthou, the first female member of the politburo. The younger generation now makes up one-third of the central committee's 55 members, Somsavat said.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

Vientiane