Levon Ter-Petrosyan

Levon Hakobi Ter-Petrosyan, born on January ninth, nineteen forty-five, is a prominent Armenian politician and historian. He made history as the first president of Armenia, serving from nineteen ninety-one until his resignation in nineteen ninety-eight. His political journey began as a senior researcher at the Matenadaran institute, where he became a leading figure in the Karabakh movement, advocating for the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, a cause that gained momentum in nineteen eighty-eight.

Following Armenia's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in September nineteen ninety-one, Ter-Petrosyan was elected president in a landslide victory during the first presidential election. His leadership was pivotal during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War against Azerbaijan. He was reelected in nineteen ninety-six, although this election was marred by allegations of electoral fraud, leading to mass protests that were ultimately suppressed by military force.

Disagreements with key government officials over a peace proposal for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict led to his resignation on February third, nineteen ninety-eight. After a period of political inactivity until two thousand seven, Ter-Petrosyan made a comeback, running for president again in two thousand eight against former government member Serzh Sargsyan. Despite receiving twenty-one point five percent of the vote, he claimed the elections were rigged, resulting in mass protests that were met with violent government response.

On August first, two thousand eight, he founded the Armenian National Congress (ANC), which became the main opposition party in Armenia. The ANC organized significant protests, achieving some political concessions from the government. In the parliamentary elections of two thousand twelve, the ANC secured seven point one percent of the popular vote, gaining seven seats, although they lost these in subsequent elections. Ter-Petrosyan continued to lead the ANC's electoral list in the snap parliamentary elections of June twenty twenty-one, where the party again failed to enter parliament.