Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – The 12th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) opened on Tuesday, clarifying the development direction of advancing the socialist path and outlining a five-year, ten-year, and thirty-year medium- and long-term development roadmap.
Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the LPRP Central Committee and President of Laos, declared the three-day congress open. The theme of the congress is "Enhancing the Party's Strong Leadership Role, Actively Building an Independent and Self-reliant Economy, Continuing to Cultivate a People's Democratic Regime, and Unswervingly Moving Towards Socialism." He then read the draft report of the 11th Central Committee of the Party, proposing a target of at least 6% average annual economic growth from 2026 to 2030, laying the foundation for Laos to shed its status as a least developed country this year and achieve a smooth transition over the next three years.
A total of 834 delegates at all levels (including 123 female delegates) and 388 specially invited guests attended the congress, representing 421,865 party members nationwide. In his report, Thongloun pledged to fully address economic and financial difficulties, promote independent economic development, improve people's livelihoods, promote national culture, and strengthen human resource development.
In foreign policy, Laos will actively engage in diplomatic activities to enhance international trust and increase its regional and international influence. Regarding debt management, the report explicitly states that Laos will not accumulate heavy debt; previously, Laos' public debt-to-GDP ratio had already decreased from 116% in 2022 to 88% in 2025.
To achieve its goals, Laos will incorporate the priorities for addressing economic difficulties from 2021-2025 into its 10th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), promoting governance and regulatory reforms, optimizing the business environment, and accelerating digitalization. Simultaneously, it will improve resource utilization efficiency, promote the development of diversified energy sources such as hydropower, solar, and wind power, and balance domestic demand with exports. Furthermore, it will strengthen anti-corruption efforts and leadership oversight, broaden revenue sources, and solidify the foundation for development.
The plan shows that from 2026-2035, Laos will continue to consolidate its people's democratic system and promote high-quality, green, and sustainable development; by 2055, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, it aims to become an upper-middle-income developing country. Following this, Prime Minister Somsak Siphandone read out the draft of the Tenth Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2026-2030), translating policy directions into concrete actions. It is understood that the congress will elect members of the 12th Central Committee on Wednesday, who will lead the work of the party and the state for the next five years.
