Serzh Sargsyan

Serzh Sargsyan is an Armenian politician who served as president from 2008 to 2018 and briefly as prime minister in 2007 and 2018.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: An armed and political conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis over Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories. Sargsyan’s political career began amid this conflict, in which he held leadership and defense roles.
2015 Armenian constitutional referendum: A referendum that approved constitutional amendments shifting Armenia from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary system. Sargsyan’s government promoted the amendments that altered the route to executive power.
2018 Armenian revolution: A mass, largely nonviolent protest movement that forced Serzh Sargsyan to resign as prime minister in April 2018. The protests directly overturned his attempt to remain in power after his presidency.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan: An Armenian politician who served as the country’s first president from 1991 to 1998. Ter-Petrosyan returned as an opposition challenger in the 2008 election Sargsyan won.
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic: A self-proclaimed Armenian-majority state established in 1991 in Nagorno-Karabakh and dissolved in 2024. Sargsyan held senior political and military posts in its predecessor administration.
Parliamentary system: A system of government in which the executive depends on the confidence of a legislature. The constitutional shift made the prime minister, rather than the president, Armenia’s central executive.
Nikol Pashinyan: An Armenian politician who became prime minister after leading the 2018 protest movement against Sargsyan. Pashinyan organized the demonstrations that compelled Sargsyan’s resignation.
Armenian presidential election, 2008 protests: The demonstrations and clashes that followed the disputed results of Armenia’s 2008 presidential election. They exposed the coercive response that contrasted with the largely nonviolent protests of 2018.
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic: A constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1936 until Armenia became independent in 1991. Sargsyan’s early political formation took place during the final years of Soviet rule.
Prime Minister of Armenia: The head of government of Armenia, responsible for directing the cabinet and executive administration. The office became the intended route for Sargsyan to continue leading the government.

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