Religion Buddhism Name Phoui Sananikone | Political party Neutralist Profession Prime Minister | |
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Died December 4, 1983, Paris, France | ||
Phoui Sananikone (6 September 1903 in Laos – 4 December 1983 in Paris) was Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos on two occasions in 1950 to 1951 and again from 1958 to 1959, and also served as Foreign Minister on multiple occasions.
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Early life
Born in 1903, he was part of the Sananikones, a powerful Laotian aristocratic family.
Premiership
Souvanna Phouma lost a vote of confidence in the National Assembly and was forced to resign. Phoui succeeded Souvanna Phouma, and formed a new cabinet with the support of Committee for the Defence of the National Interests (CDNI) members. The Pathet Lao were no longer represented in the new pro-American government. After taking up office, Sananikone and his ministers shifted Lao policy to the right, dissolved the National Assembly, and denounced the 1954 Geneva truce. Attempts were also made to disperse and neutralize Pathet Lao soldiers who had been integrated into the Royal Lao Army (RLA) a few months earlier. He resigned under right-wing military pressure and handed all power to General Phoumi Nosavan, the head of the RLA.
Post-premiership
He remained part of the political scene as Speaker of the National Assembly from 1960 until 1974. In May 1975 he left for France after the communist takeover. In September that year was sentenced to death in his absence. He died in Paris, aged 80.