PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION IN ARMENIA

ITAR-TASS
April 9 2008
Russia

YEREVAN, April 9 (Itar-Tass) – Armenia’s new President Serzh Sarkisyan
will be sworn in on Wednesday. Sarkisyan, 54, won the presidential
polls on February 19, beating nine candidates for the country’s top
executive job.

A prominent statement, he has occupied a number of key posts since
1993: defense minister, head of the state department for national
security, minister of national security, minister of interior and
national security, chief of presidential staff and prime minister
(he occupied this post from April 2007).

According to the Constitution, the ceremony will take place at a
special session of the republic’s National Assembly in Yerevan’s
Spendiarov Theatre of Opera and Ballet.

The ceremony will be held on the last day in office of the outgoing
President Robert Kocharyan, whose 2nd presidential mandate expires
and who cannot seek the third term.

Russia is sending a large delegation to the inauguration ceremony. It
includes State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, his deputy Artur
Chilingarov, co-chairman of the intergovernmental economic cooperation
commission, Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin, and members of
the Federation Council (upper house of the Russian parliament) and Duma
lawmakers, Armenian Ambassador to Russia Armen Smbatyan told Itar-Tass.

Georgia will be represented by Prime Minister Vladimir Gurgenidze.

Other dignitaries include Deputy Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Senate
Mukhambet Kobeyev, Chairman of Turkmenistan’s Mejlis (parliament)
Akchatur Berdyyev, Chairman of the Czech Senate Premysl Sobotka,
Iranian Energy Minister Sayed Fatah, and Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza.

CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha, EU Special Envoy to the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby, Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
Heikki Talvitie and NATO Secretary General’s Assistant Jean-Francois
Bureau will attend the inauguration ceremony.

Immediately after induction into office, the government will resign,
in accordance with Armenia’s Fundamental Law.

The Cabinet then will continue to perform its duties until the new
government has been formed.

The president, on the basis of the distribution of seats in the
National Assembly and consultations with parliament factions, appoints
"the prime minister who enjoys the trust of a majority of lawmakers,"
and if such a majority is unavailable, the person who is trusted by the
largest group of lawmakers is selected. The president then appoints
the prime minister within ten days after the government resignation,
and the new Cabinet is formed within 20 days after the appointment
of the prime minister.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress