Quest Economics Database: Armenia

Quest Economics Database
CIRCA (Cambridge International Reference on Current Affairs) People
In Power
September 15, 2006 Friday

ARMENIA

Full name: The Republic of Armenia : Capital: Yerevan

Current constitution: July 1995, with amendments in 2005.

Head of state: The head of state is a president, directly elected by
universal adult suffrage. Robert Kocharian, hitherto prime minister,
became acting president on the resignation on 3 February 1998, of the
president since independence, Levon Ter-Petrossian. Kocharian went on
to win elections held in March and was sworn into office on 9 April
1998. The president’s term of office is five years, renewable once
only.

Legislature: The legislature is unicameral. The sole chamber, the
National Assembly (Azgayin Joghov), has 131 members, directly elected
for a four-year term.

Executive: The president appoints the prime minister, and the other
members of the cabinet as proposed by the prime minister. The prime
minister is head of government, and directs and co-ordinates its
work.

Most recent elections:

– Presidential: 19 February and 5 March 2003.

– Legislative: 25 May 2003.

Political makeup of government: The president is not a member of any
party, although when first elected in 1998 he was backed by the
Pan-Armenian National Movement (PANM), and defeated former communist
leader Karen Demirchian of the People’s Party of Armenia (PPA). After
the 2003 legislative elections pro-presidential parties dominated the
National Assembly, and the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), which
had led the previous administration, became the largest party with 35
members, although there were an equal number of independents.
Andranik Markarian of the RPA, prime minister since May 2000, formed
a new RPA-led government on 11 June 2003 in which the majority of the
members of the previous government retained their posts. One of the
RPA’s two junior coalition paartners, the Law-Based State (Orinats
Yerkir) party (LBS) withdrew from the government in May 2006. Its two
remaining ministers resigned from the party, but one of them, the
minister of education and science, was replaced on 17 May by a member
of the other coalition party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation –
Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D). The minister of culture was replaced on 22
May.

Head of State

Robert Kocharian : President

Cabinet

Andranik Markarian (RPA): Prime Minister

Hovik Abrahamian (RPA): Minister for Co-ordinating Territorial
Administration and Production Infrastructures

Vardan Oskanian (ind): Foreign Affairs

David Lokian (ARF-D): Agriculture

Aghvan Vardanian (ARF-D): Labour and Social Security

Karen Chshmaritian (RPA): Trade and Economic Development

David Harutunian (RPA): Justice

Levon Mkrtchian (ARF-D): Education and Science

Serge Sarkissian : Defence

Vardan Ayvazian (RPA): Ecology

Norair Davidian (ARF-D): Health

Asmik Pogosian : Culture and Youth Affairs

Andranik Manukian (RPA): Transport and Communications

Vartan Khachatrian (RPA): Finance and Economy

Aram Harutunian : Urban Development

Armen Movsisian (RPA): Energy

Manuk Topuzian : Head of the Government Executive

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS