Souphanouvong ສຸພານຸວົງ | |
|---|---|
 Souphanouvong in 1978 | |
| Born | 13 July 1909 Palace Sisouvanna, Xieng Dong, Luang-Prabang, French Laos |
| Died | 9 January 1995 (aged 85) Vientiane, Laos |
| Political party | Lao People's Revolutionary Party |
Souphanouvong was the first President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, a post in which he served from the establishment of the socialist republic on 2 December 1975 until 25 November 1986. Although born a Prince, Souphanouvong joined the communist faction of the Laotian Civil War and later became a Marxist-Leninist earning him the nickname of the "Red Prince".