From Ter-Petrosian to Kocharian: Leadership Change in Armenia

Abstract

This paper analyzes the Armenian government under president Levon Ter-Petrosian during the 1990s and the transition to prime minister Robert Kocharian in 1998. It mainly looks at the underlying causes of Ter-Petrosian's downfall and his forced resignation, focusing on the country's economy, ideological factors, citizenship and the diaspora, and pragmatic authoritarianism. It concludes with a discussion of the fragmentation of the Armenian Pan National Movement (APNM); the APNM challenge to Kocharian and national security minister Serzh Sargsian; the Karabagh conflict; and the "hyperpresidentialism" of the Armenian political system.