Facing term limits as president, Sargsyan changed the government to a parliamentary system and stepped into the position of prime minister. Intense street protests forced Sargsyan to resign after less than a week in the post of prime minister. Although the country is nominally democratic, all democratic institutions, including elections and the mainstream media, have been controlled by the ruling Republican Party and its leaders since 1999. According to the Constitution, if the prime minister resigns, the parliamentary factions have seven days to nominate candidates for prime minister. Armenia is far from alone among former Soviet nations in being a poor, ill-governed country dominated by an oligarchic political system.

Source: Washington Post April 30, 2018 09:00 UTC