One day after being replaced by Serzh Sarkisian, former Prime Minister Karen Karapetian was appointed as Armenia’s first deputy prime minister on Wednesday.
President Armen Sarkissian also named two other deputy prime ministers and reappointed Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian to their current positions.
The presidential decrees were predetermined by Serzh Sarkisian in accordance with the country’s shift from a presidential to parliamentary system of government.The new prime minister said on Tuesday that he “will not take long” to form his cabinet, which is certain to receive a vote of confidence from the Armenian parliament.
Sarkisian discussed the cabinet’s composition when he met with Karapetian two days before completing his second and final presidential term on April 9. He said he and Karapetian will primarily “bear the burden of responsibility” for the country’s government in the years to come.
Karapetian, who had fewer powers than his successor, told reporters afterwards that they agreed to “maintain the current government configuration.” He will thus be the number two figure in the Armenian government.
The two other deputy prime ministers are Vache Gabrielian and Armen Gevorgian. Gabrielian served as vice-premier in Karapetian’s cabinet while Gevorgian was the chief of the presidential staff until now.
Observers expect few other ministerial changes. The three current ministers representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), a party allied to Serzh Sarkisian, should retain their posts.
Sarkisian told the parliament on Tuesday that he will make only “some corrections and adjustments” to the outgoing cabinet’s five-year policy program approved by lawmakers last June. It targets, among other things, an annual economic growth rate of around 5 percent in 2017-2022.
Karapetian said on April 7 that the authorities are planning to implement “fundamental” economic reforms.” He had already pledged to effect such changes after being appointed prime minister in September 2016.
Armenian opposition groups have dismissed this reform agenda as a gimmick. Opposition leaders say Sarkisian is not interested in breaking up economic monopolies and strengthening the rule of law.
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