Preamble
The multi-ethnic Lao people have existed and developed on this beloved land for thousands of years. Starting from the middle of the 14th century, during the time of Chao Fa Ngum, our ancestors founded the unified Lane Xang country and built it into a prosperous land.
Since the 18th century, the Lao land has been repeatedly threatened and invaded by outside powers. Our people enhanced the heroic and unyielding traditions of their ancestors and continually and persistently fought to gain independence and freedom.
Since the 1930’s, under the correct leadership of the former Indochinese Communist Party and the present Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, the multi-ethnic Lao people have carried out difficult and arduous struggles full of great sacrifices until they managed to crush the yokes of domination and oppression, tumble the colonial and feudal regimes, completely liberate the country and establish the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on 2 December 1975, thus opening a new era – an era of genuine independence for the country and true freedom for the people.
During the years since the country has been liberated, under the leadership of Lao Revolutionary Party, our people have together been implementing the two strategic tasks of defending and building the country, especially the undertaking of reforms on every side, guided by the principles of mobilizing the resources within the nation and the era to preserve the people’s democratic regime, the people’s wealth, prosperity, social harmony, democracy, justice and civilization, creating conditions to move towards socialism.
In this new era, social life requires that the State must focus on the management of State, through socio-economic by-laws, and therefore the first Constitution of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was established and promulgated on 15 August 1991. In order to meet the requirements for the implementation on the new changes of policy, the first constitution was amended and promulgated in 2003; the amended Constitution in 2015 focuses on the improvement of State power to have greater efficiency, create a new turn toward the protection and construction of the country, and integrate the economy within the region and globe in the new era.
The Constitution of the People’s Democratic regime in our country has acknowledged the major result that the people have victoriously achieved in undertaking and liberating the country, protecting and building the country, as well as the undertaking of the new changes. The Constitution defines the political regime, the socio-economic system, the regimes of national security, defence, foreign affairs, the rights and obligations of citizens and the system of organization of the state apparatus in the new era.
This Constitution is the fruit of the process of the people’s discussions throughout the country. It reflects the long-standing aspirations and strong determination of the national community to strive together to fulfill the objective of building Laos into a country of peace, independence, democracy, unity and prosperity.
