New Armenian 1st Deputy PM, several ministers appointed

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Armen Sarkissian has signed several decrees, appointing new First Deputy Prime Minister, deputy prime minister and several ministers.

Accordingly, lawmaker from Yelk bloc Ararat Mirzoyan will be Armenia’s new First Deputy Prime Minister, while Yelk spokesman Tigran Avinyan will the deputy prime minister.

Under the current constitution, the government will have two deputy prime ministers, but the name of the second one is yet to be revealed.

Both Mirzoyan and Avinyan supported newly-elected Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan when the latter was leading a campaign of civil disobedience and massive protests and rallies against the ruling authorities.

The movement, as a result, forced former Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan out, while the parliament elected Pashinyan as a the country’s new PM.

In other decrees, acting Minister of Emergency Situations Davit Tonoyan, who used to serve as Deputy Defense Minister for a long time prior to 2017, was appointed the Minister of Defense, while Yelk members Arayik Harutyunyan, Suren Papikyan and Mkhitar Hayrapetyan have been appointed the Ministers of Education and Science, of Territorial Administration, and of Diaspora, respectively.