Prime Minister of Armenia


The prime minister 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:

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:
Staff DepartmentPrincipal executiveIncumbent
Prime Minister's StaffChief of StaffArayik Harutyunyan
Prime Minister's StaffDeputy Chiefs of StaffArmenak Khachatryan
Prime Minister's StaffDeputy Chiefs of StaffArtur Hovsepyan
Prime Minister's StaffDeputy Chiefs of StaffSargis Torosyan
Prime Minister's StaffDeputy Chiefs of StaffTaron Chakhoyan
Prime Minister's StaffDeputy Chiefs of StaffZaruhi Matevosyan
Prime Minister's StaffSenior Adviser to the Prime MinisterHambardzum Matevosyan
Prime Minister's StaffAdvisers to Prime MinisterArtashes Toumanian
Prime Minister's StaffVoluntary AdvisorAleksandr Avetisyan
Prime Minister's StaffVoluntary AdvisorSuren Maghakyan
Prime Minister's StaffPress SecretaryNazeli Baghdasaryan
Prime Minister's StaffChief Protocol OfficerSuren Varosyan
Prime Minister's StaffAssistants to the Prime MinisterArsen Mikhaylov
Prime Minister's StaffAssistants to the Prime MinisterArtur Grigoryan
Prime Minister's StaffAssistants to the Prime MinisterDavid Gevorgyan
Prime Minister's StaffAssistants to the Prime MinisterGagik Isakhanyan
Prime Minister's StaffAssistants to the Prime MinisterHakob Abrahamyan
Prime Minister's StaffAssistants to the Prime MinisterKarine Davoyan
Relations with the National AssemblyDepartment HeadAnahit Stephanyan
External RelationsDepartment HeadKaren Gasparyan
LegalDepartment HeadHayk Kesoyan
Programmes ExpertiseDepartment Head
Personnel and Human Resources ManagementDepartment Head
State and Legal AffairsDepartment Head
Social AffairsDepartment Head
Territorial Development and Environmental IssuesDepartment Head
Information and Public RelationsDepartment Head
Financial and AccountingDepartment Head
Financial-EconomicalDepartment Head
Regulatory Impact AssessmentDepartment Head
Applications, monitoring and evaluation of citizen feedbackDepartment Head
Administrative ServiceDepartment Head
Protocol DivisionDepartment Head
Protocol DepartmentDepartment Head
First DivisionDepartment Head
Mobilization Preparations and Mobilization Programmes DivisionDepartment Head
General DivisionDepartment Head
Division of Pardons, Citizenship, Awards and TitlesDepartment Head
Security Council BureauDepartment Head
Civil Service BureauDepartment Head
Inspection Bodies’ Coordination BureauDepartment Head
Public Council SecretariatDepartment Head
Office of the Representative on international legal mattersDepartment Head

Timeline

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the heads of government of Armenia. They are listed in order of first assuming office.
The following chart lists heads of government by lifespan, with the years outside of their tenure in beige.


The following chart shows heads of government by their age, with the years of their tenure in blue. The vertical black line at 25 years indicates the minimum age to be prime minister.