The prime minister of the Republic of Armenia () 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. Nikol Pashinyan is the current prime minister. He took the office on 8 May 2018 following the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan.
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. ,. 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.
Selection Following a general election, after commencement of the term of the newly-elected National Assembly the president appoints the representative of the party a plurality of seats in the assembly (i.e. the largest party). Factions of the National Assembly are entitled to nominate candidates for prime minister within a period of seven days.
Deputy The principal deputy of the prime minister is the deputy prime minister, the possibility of having more than one deputy prime minister, but no more than three.
Current deputies TitlePortfolio/Area of responsibilityNameDeputy Prime Minister Labor and social affairs Healthcare Justice Civil defense Environment Natural resources Education and science Culture and sports Territorial administration and local self-government Infrastructure
Urban development Real estate cadastre State property Investments Business environment Fiscal and budgetary affairs High-tech industry Communications Charity Civil ServiceMher GrigoryanDeputy Prime Minister Financial and payment and settlement system Tax and customs system External and internal security Justice Anti-corruption and judicial Labor and social issues Healthcare Environmental protection Efficient use of natural resources Education and science Youth Culture and sports Urban development Infrastructure
State property and assets Economy Investments Business environment Foreign economic relations International trade High-tech industry Communication and telecommunications Public administration Strategic planning Public service provision Human capital development reforms in the public sector Chief Information Coordinator E-society Economy and e-governance Tigran Khachatryan
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: Bodies subordinate to the prime minister National Security Service Foreign Intelligence Service State Protection Service State Supervisory Service
List of officeholders (1991–present) Since the country's independence, it has had 16 prime ministers, none of whom were women. Name Portrait Political party Term of office Election Government Composition 1 Vazgen Manukyan PANM 13 August 1990 25 September 1991 1990 NDU 25 September 1991 22 November 1991 2 Gagik Harutyunyan Independent 22 November 1991 30 July 1992 3 Khosrov Harutyunyan Independent 30 July 1992 2 February 1993 4 Hrant Bagratyan PANM 2 February 1993 26 July 1995 26 July 1995 4 November 1996 1995 5 Armen Sarkissian Independent 4 November 1996 20 March 1997 6 Robert Kocharyan Independent 20 March 1997 10 April 1998 7 Armen Darbinyan Independent 10 April 1998 11 June 1999 8 Vazgen Sargsyan RPA 11 June 1999 27 October 1999 1999 9 Aram Sargsyan RPA 3 November 1999 2 May 2000 10 Andranik Margaryan RPA 2 May 2000 25 May 2003 25 May 2003 25 March 2007 2003 — Serzh Sargsyan RPA 25 March 2007 4 April 2007 11 4 April 2007 7 April 2008 12 Tigran Sargsyan RPA 9 April 2008 6 May 2012 2007 6 May 2012 19 April 2013 2012 19 April 2013 13 April 2014 13 Hovik Abrahamyan RPA 13 April 2014 8 September 2016 14 Karen Karapetyan RPA 13 September 2016 18 May 2017 18 May 2017 17 April 2018 2017 15 Serzh Sargsyan RPA 17 April 2018 23 April 2018 — Karen Karapetyan RPA 23 April 2018 8 May 2018 16 Nikol Pashinyan Civil Contract 8 May 2018 14 January 2019 14 January 2019 2 August 2021 2018 2 August 2021 2 August 2026 2021 2 August 2026 Incumbent 2026
Notes
α. Assassinated while in office in the 1999 Armenian parliament shooting.
β. Died of heart attack while in office.
References
External links Historical Overview – Former Prime Ministers – The Government of Armenia