The prime minister of Armenia (Armenian: Հայաստանի Հանրապետության վարչապետ, romanized: Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan varch’apet) is the head of government and most senior minister within the Armenian government, and is required by the constitution to "determine the main directions of policy of the Government, manage the activities of the Government and coordinate the work of the members of the Government." Also, according to the constitution, the prime minister heads the Security Council, which prescribes the main directions of the country's defense policy; thus, the prime minister is effectively the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Armenia.[4] Nikol Pashinyan is the current prime minister. He took the office on 8 May 2018 following the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan.
| Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Հայաստանի Հանրապետության վարչապետ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Government of Armenia | |
| Style | Mr. Prime Minister (formal) His Excellency (diplomatic, abroad)[1] |
| Status | Head of government |
| Member of | Cabinet of Armenia |
| Residence | Prime Minister's Residence |
| Seat | Yerevan |
| Appointer | President of Armenia, based on appointee's ability to command confidence in the National Assembly |
| Term length | No term limit Parliamentary elections to the National Assembly are held every five years at most. After election Prime Minister and the Cabinet resigns and the newly elected National Assembly approves the Prime Minister. |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Armenia |
| Inaugural holder | Hovhannes Kajaznuni[2] |
| Formation | 30 June 1918 |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister |
| Salary | AMD 15,079,920/ US$ 38,825 annually[3] |
| Website | www |
History
Original role
The office of prime minister was first established in 1918 with the foundation of the First Republic of Armenia. The prime minister chosen by the National Council of Armenia and was accountable for international, domestic and regional issues. The first Prime Minister became Hovhannes Katchaznouni whose cabinet was made up from five members, all of which were from ARF. In addition, a ministry of interior was created, whose first head was Aram Manukian.[5] It vanished when the First Republic of Armenia was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and then transferred into a full Soviet republic.
Soviet era
The governmental structure of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic was similar to that of the other Soviet republics. The highest executive and administrative organ of state power was the Council of Ministers. The Council consisted of the following positions:
- Chairman
- Vice Chairman
- Chairman of the State Planning Commission
- Cabinet Ministers
- Representative of the Committee of Agricultural Stocks
- Chairman of the Board of Arts
- Representative of the All-Union People's Commissariat
Restoration
When Armenia regained its independence in 1991, the office of prime minister was reintroduced. Under the new 2015 constitution, the prime minister is the most powerful and influential person in Armenian politics. The prime minister is appointed by the president of Armenia upon the vote of the National Assembly. The prime minister can be removed by a vote of no confidence in Parliament. In the constitutional referendum held in 2015, citizens voted in favor of transferring Armenia into a parliamentary republic.
Prime Minister's Office
The Prime Minister's Staff has the task of ensuring the enforcement of the powers vested in the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Ministers, as well as making preparations for Cabinet meetings:[6]
| Staff Department | Principal executive | Incumbent |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister's Staff | Chief of Staff | Arayik Harutyunyan |
| Deputy Chiefs of Staff | Armenak Khachatryan | |
| Artur Hovsepyan | ||
| Sargis Torosyan | ||
| Taron Chakhoyan | ||
| Zaruhi Matevosyan | ||
| Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister | Hambardzum Matevosyan | |
| Advisers to Prime Minister | Artashes Toumanian | |
| Voluntary Advisor | Aleksandr Avetisyan | |
| Suren Maghakyan | ||
| Press Secretary | Nazeli Baghdasaryan | |
| Chief Protocol Officer | Suren Varosyan | |
| Assistants to the Prime Minister | Arsen Mikhaylov | |
| Artur Grigoryan | ||
| David Gevorgyan | ||
| Gagik Isakhanyan | ||
| Hakob Abrahamyan | ||
| Karine Davoyan | ||
| Relations with the National Assembly | Department Head | Anahit Stephanyan |
| External Relations | Karen Gasparyan | |
| Legal | Hayk Kesoyan | |
| Programmes Expertise | ||
| Personnel and Human Resources Management | ||
| State and Legal Affairs | ||
| Social Affairs | ||
| Territorial Development and Environmental Issues | ||
| Information and Public Relations | ||
| Financial and Accounting | ||
| Financial-Economical | ||
| Regulatory Impact Assessment | ||
| Applications, monitoring and evaluation of citizen feedback | ||
| Administrative Service | ||
| Protocol Division | ||
| Protocol Department | ||
| First Division | ||
| Mobilization Preparations and Mobilization Programmes Division | ||
| General Division | ||
| Division of Pardons, Citizenship, Awards and Titles | ||
| Security Council Bureau | ||
| Civil Service Bureau | ||
| Inspection Bodies’ Coordination Bureau | ||
| Public Council Secretariat | ||
| Office of the Representative on international legal matters |
List of heads of government of Armenia
Republic of Armenia (1918–1920)
- Prime ministers
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of Office | Political Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left office | |||||||
| 1 |  | Hovhannes Kajaznuni (1868–1938) | 30 June 1918 | 28 May 1919 | ARF | |||
| 2 |  | Alexander Khatisian (1874–1945) | 28 May 1919 | 5 May 1920 | ARF | |||
| 3 |  | Hamo Ohanjanyan (1873–1947) | 5 May 1920 | 25 November 1920 | ARF | |||
| 4 |  | Simon Vratsian (1882–1969) | 25 November 1920 | 2 December 1920 | ARF | |||
| Armenia was part of the Soviet Union from 1920 to 1991 (see below) | ||||||||
Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (1922–1936)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of Office | Political Party | Title(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left office | |||||
| 1 |  | Alexander Miasnikian (1886–1925) | 1 January 1921 | 30 January 1922 | HKK | Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars |
| 2 |  | Sargis Lukashin (1883–1937) | 21 May 1922 | 24 June 1925 | HKK | Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars |
| 3 |  | Sargis Hаmbardzumyan (1870–1944) | 24 June 1925 | 22 March 1928 | HKK | Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars |
| 4 |  | Sahak Ter-Gabrielyan (1886–1937) | 22 March 1928 | 10 February 1935 | HKK | Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars |
| 5 | | Abraham Guloyan (1893–1938) | 10 February 1935 | February 1937 | HKK | Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars |
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (1936–1991)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of Office | Political Party | Title(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took Office | Left office | |||||
| 6 | | Sargis Hаmbardzumyan (1870–1944) | February 1937 | May 1937 | HKK | Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars |
| 7 | | Stepan Akopyan (1878–1961) | May 1937 | 21 September 1937 | HKK | Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars |
| 8 | | Aram Piruzyan (1907–1996) | 23 November 1937 | October 1943 | HKK | Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars |
| 9 | | Aghasi Sargsyan (1905–1971) | October 1943 | 1946 | HKK | Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars |
| 1946 | 29 March 1947 | Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | ||||
| 10 | | Sahak Karapetyan (1906–1987) | 29 March 1947 | 20 November 1952 | HKK | Chairmen of the Council of Ministers |
| 11 |  | Anton Kochinyan (1913–1990) | 20 November 1952 | 5 February 1966 | HKK | Chairmen of the Council of Ministers |
| 12 | | Badal Muradyan (1915–1991) | 5 February 1966 | 21 November 1973 | HKK | Chairmen of the Council of Ministers |
| 13 | | Grigory Arzumanyan (1918–1976) | 21 November 1973 | 28 November 1976 | HKK | Chairmen of the Council of Ministers |
| — | | G.A. Martirosyan (1934–2015) | 28 November 1976 | 17 January 1977 | HKK | Chairmen of the Council of Ministers |
| 14 | | Fadey Sargsyan (1923–2010) | 17 January 1977 | 16 January 1989 | HKK | Chairmen of the Council of Ministers |
| 15 | | Vladimir Markaryants (1934–2000) | 16 January 1989 | 13 August 1990 | HKK | Chairmen of the Council of Ministers |
| 16 |  | Vazgen Manukyan (1946–) | 13 August 1990 | 25 September 1991 | AZhM | Chairmen of the Council of Ministers |
Armenia (1991–present)
| NDU (1) PANM (1) RPA (7) Civil Contract (1) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name (Lifespan) | Portrait | Political party | Term of office | Election (Parliament) | Government | ||
| No. | Composition | |||||||
1 | Vazgen Manukyan (born 1946) | | PANM | 13 August 1990 | 25 September 1991 (independence) | 1990 | 1st | Independents • PANM |
| NDU | 25 September 1991 (independence) | 22 November 1991 | Independents • PANM • NDU | |||||
| 2 | Gagik Harutyunyan (born 1948) |  | Independent | 22 November 1991 | 30 July 1992 | 2nd | Independents • PANM | |
| 3 | Khosrov Harutyunyan (born 1948) | ,_min_41.52.png) | Independent | 30 July 1992 | 2 February 1993 | 3rd | ||
| 4 | Hrant Bagratyan (born 1958) |  | PANM | 2 February 1993 | 26 July 1995 | 4th | ||
| 26 July 1995 | 4 November 1996 | 1995 | 5th | PANM • RPA | ||||
| 5 | Armen Sarkissian (born 1952) |  | Independent | 4 November 1996 | 20 March 1997 | 6th | ||
| 6 | Robert Kocharyan (born 1954) |  | Independent | 20 March 1997 | 10 April 1998 | 7th | RPA • ARF | |
| 7 | Armen Darbinyan (born 1964) |  | Independent | 10 April 1998 | 11 June 1999 | 8th | RPA • ARF • ACP | |
| 8 | Vazgen Sargsyan (1959–1999) | .png) | RPA | 11 June 1999 | 27 October 1999 | 1999 | 9th | RPA • PPA • ARF |
| 9 | Aram Sargsyan (born 1961) |  | RPA | 3 November 1999 | 2 May 2000 | 10th | ||
| 10 | Andranik Margaryan (1949–2007) | .jpg) | RPA | 2 May 2000 | 25 May 2003 | 11th | RPA • PPA • ARF • Heritage | |
| 25 May 2003 | 25 March 2007 (died in office) | 2003 | 12th | RPA • ARF • Heritage | ||||
| — | Serzh Sargsyan (born 1954) |  | RPA | 25 March 2007 | 4 April 2007 | |||
| 11 | 4 April 2007 | 7 April 2008 | 13th | |||||
| 12 | Tigran Sargsyan (born 1960) |  | RPA | 9 April 2008 | 6 May 2012 | 2007 | 14th | RPA • ARF • OEK • PAP |
| 6 May 2012 | 19 April 2013 | 2012 | 15th | RPA • OEK | ||||
| 19 April 2013 | 13 April 2014 | 16th | ||||||
| 13 | Hovik Abrahamyan (born 1959) |  | RPA | 13 April 2014 | 8 September 2016 | 17th | RPA • OEK • ARF | |
| 14 | Karen Karapetyan (born 1963) | _02.jpg) | RPA | 13 September 2016 | 18 May 2017 | 18th | RPA • ARF | |
| 18 May 2017 | 17 April 2018 | 2017 | 19th | |||||
| (11) | Serzh Sargsyan (born 1954) |  | RPA | 17 April 2018 | 23 April 2018 | 20th | ||
| — | Karen Karapetyan (born 1963) | | RPA | 23 April 2018 | 8 May 2018 | |||
| Nikol Pashinyan (born 1975) | _2.jpg) | Yelk Civil Contract | 8 May 2018 | 14 January 2019 | 21st | Yelk • Tsarukyan Alliance • ARF | ||
| 15 | My Step Civil Contract | 14 January 2019 | 2 August 2021 | 2018 | 22nd | Civil Contract • Mission • Hanrapetutyun | ||
| Civil Contract | 2 August 2021 | Incumbent | 2021 | 23rd | Civil Contract | |||
Timeline
Notes
α. ^ Assassinated while in office in the 1999 Armenian parliament shooting.
β. ^ Died of heart attack while in office.
