Robert Kocharyan
| Robert Kocharyan Ռոբերտ Քոչարյան |
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| 2nd President of Armenia | |
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In office 9 April 1998 – 9 April 2008 Acting: 4 February – 9 April 1998 |
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| Prime Minister |
Armen Darbinyan Vazgen Sargsyan Aram Sargsyan Andranik Margaryan Serzh Sargsyan |
| Preceded by | Levon Ter-Petrossian |
| Succeeded by | Serzh Sargsyan |
| 6th Prime Minister of Armenia | |
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In office 20 March 1997 – 10 April 1998 |
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| President | Levon Ter-Petrossian |
| Preceded by | Armen Sargsyan |
| Succeeded by | Armen Darbinyan |
| 1st President of Nagorno-Karabakh | |
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In office 29 December 1994 – 20 March 1997 |
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| Prime Minister | Leonard Petrosyan |
| Preceded by | Garen Baburyan (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Leonard Petrosyan (Acting) |
| 2nd Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh | |
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In office August 1992 – 29 December 1994 |
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| President |
Georgy Petrosyan (Acting) Garen Baburyan (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Oleg Yesayan |
| Succeeded by | Leonard Petrosyan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
31 August 1954 Stepanakert, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union (now Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) |
| Spouse(s) | Bella Kocharyan |
| Children | Sedrak Gayane Levon |
| Religion | Armenian Apostolic |
| Signature |  |
Robert Sedraki Kocharyan (Armenian: Ռոբերտ Սեդրակի Քոչարյան pronounced [ɾɔbɛɾt kʰɔtʃʰɑɾjɑn]; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician who served as the second President of Armenia between 1998 and 2008. He was previously President of Nagorno-Karabakh from 1994 to 1997 and Prime Minister of Armenia from 1997 to 1998.
During most of his presidency, between 2001 and 2007, Armenia's economy grew on average by 12% annually, largely due to the construction boom. His presidency witnessed two of the bloodiest events in post-independence Armenian history: the 1999 Armenian parliament shooting and the killing of ten people during the 2008 presidential election protests. He has been held responsible for both events by the opposition, especially by Armenia's first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his party.
Both the 1998 and 2003 presidential elections were held in two rounds. They were disputed by the opposition candidates and criticized by international observers.
Robert Kocharyan was born in Stepanakert, NKAO, Azerbaijan SSR. He received his secondary education there and from 1972 to 1974 served in the Soviet Army. He and his wife, Bella Kocharyan, have three children: Sedrak, Gayane, and Levon; all of whom were born in Stepanakert.
After his predecessor Levon Ter-Petrossian was ousted as President, Kocharyan was elected Armenia's second President on 30 March 1998, defeating his main rival, Karen Demirchyan, in an early presidential election marred by irregularities and violations by both sides as reported by international electoral observers. Complaints included that Kocharyan had not been an Armenian citizen for ten years as required by the constitution, even though it would have been impossible for him to be a 10-year citizen of a republic that was less than 7 years old; however, the Armenian constitution recognized the Armenian SSR as its predecessor state.
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