ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆ « HAJASTAN »
— Officially: Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն « Hajastani Hanrapetout‛joun ».
— English: Armenia.
— Seat of government: Երեվան « Erevan ».
— Status: Semi-democratic.
— Structure: The parliament (Ազգային Ժողով « Azgajin Žoğov ») is elected through geographical constituencies and party-list proportional representation, and chooses the prime minister. The president is also elected by the Ազգային Ժողով « Azgajin Žoğov ».
— Governing parties: Հայաստանի Հանրապետական Կուսակցություն « Hajastani Hanrapetakan Kousakc‛out‛joun »; Հայ Յեղափոխական Դաշնակցութիւն « Haj Jeğap‛oxakan Dašnakc‛out‛iun ».
— Heads of government: Սերժ Սարգսյան « Serž Sargsjan », ՀՀԿ « HHK », prime minister (head of government since 2008); Արմեն Սարգսյան « Armen Sargsjan », ՀՀԿ « HHK », president (since 2018).
— Other parliamentary parties: Բարգավաճ Հայաստանի Կուսակցություն « Bargavač Hajastani Kousakc‛out‛joun »; Ելք Դաշինք « Elk‛ Dašink‛ ».
— Assessment: Includes the province de facto of Արցախ « Arc‛ax », a Հայ « Haj »-inhabited territory that broke away from Azərbaycan immediately upon independence in 1991. In the 2003 presidential election, at a time when the president was elected directly and headed the government, incumbent Ռոբերտ Քոչարյան « Řobert K‛oč‛arjan » officially defeated Ստեպան Դեմիրճյան « Stepan Demirčjan » in two rounds of voting, but international observers reported ballot-stuffing. Subsequent parliamentary elections that year were also flawed by irregularities. Prime minister Անդրանիկ Մարգարյան « Andranik Margarjan » (2000-7) died in office, succeeded by Սերժ Սարգսյան « Serž Sargsjan », who held the office until elected president, when he was succeeded by Տիգրան Սարգսյան « Tigran Sargsjan » (2008-14). Parties in support of the government won the 2007 parliamentary and 2008 presidential elections; the opposition disputed the outcome in both cases, but international observers largely endorsed it. In 2012, the ՀՀԿ « HHK » won an absolute majority in parliament. Հովիկ Աբրահամյան « Hovik Abrahamjan » (2014-6) followed Տիգրան Սարգսյան « Tigran Sargsjan » as prime minister; Կարեն Կարապետյան « Karen Karapetjan » (2016-8) followed him. In a 2017 election, ՀՀԿ « HHK » officially won an absolute majority in parliament. In recent years, Հայաստան « Hajastan » has been drifting towards Россия « Rossija », in small part because Western integration was distant and unlikely, but in large part for support in maintaining control of Արցախ « Arc‛ax ». As Սերժ Սարգսյան « Serž Sargsjan » approached presidential term limits, the government was reorganized as a parliamentary system (passed by referendum in 2015 but not implemented until 2017), and Սարգսյան « Sargsjan », despite pledging not to, took the premiership.
— FH: 6-4, partly free (not democratic); 5-5, partly free (for Արցախ « Arc‛ax »). Econ: 4.09 (113), hybrid.
— Updated: 2018 April 22.
O.T. FORD