He was officially appointed to the office by the National Assembly of Laos on 8 June 2006, during a major government reshuffle.

Bouasone had previously served as first deputy prime minister since October 3, 2003.

Before that, he was third deputy prime minister and was president of the State Planning Committee.

[1] Now, Bouasone Bouphavanh currently serves as head of the Lao Party Central Committee's Commission for Economic Development Strategy Research.

In 1975, shortly before the fall of Vientiane to the Pathet Lao, he was a student activist who played a key role in protests against the previous regime.