Armenia

The Republic of Armenia, or Armenia (Armenian:

Politics

The Government of Armenia's stated aim is to build a Western-style parliamentary democracy as the basis of its form of government. However, international observers have questioned the fairness of Armenia's parliamentary and presidential elections and constitutional referenda since 1995, citing polling deficiencies, lack of cooperation by the electoral commission, and poor maintenance of electoral lists and polling places. For the most part however, Armenia is considered one of the more pro-democratic nations in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Related Topics:
Parliamentary democracy - Form of government - 1995 - Electoral commission - Commonwealth of Independent States

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The unicameral parliament (also called the National Assembly) is controlled by a coalition of three political parties: the conservative Republican party http://www.hhk.am, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, and the Country of Law party. The main opposition is comprised of several smaller parties joined in the Justice Bloc.

Related Topics:
Unicameral parliament - Armenian Revolutionary Federation - Country of Law - Justice Bloc

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Armenians voted overwhelmingly for independence in a September 1991 referendum. Levon Ter-Petrossian was president until January 1998, when public demonstrations against his increasingly authoritarian regime and his domestic and foreign policies forced his resignation. In 1999, as the Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian, parliament Speaker Karen Demirchian, and six other officials were killed in the attack on the National Assembly http://www.aaainc.org/ArTW/article.php?articleID=468, the country experienced a period of political instability. President Robert Kocharian was successful in riding out the unrest, and currently rules with the support of the parliamentary coalition.

Related Topics:
1991 - Levon Ter-Petrossian - 1998 - 1999 - Vazgen Sargsian - Karen Demirchian - Robert Kocharian

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