Karen Serobovich Demirchyan (Yerevan Soviet Union 17 April 1932 - Yerevan Armenia 27 October 1999) was Armenian Communist Party first secretary from 1974 to 1988. Soon after his reemergence into active politics in independent Armenia in the late 1990s, he became speaker of the Armenian parliament in 1999 until his assassination with other politicians in parliament. Jump to: navigation, search Evening shot of Republic Square, located at the heart of the city. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... Jump to: navigation, search October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1999 is a common year starting on Friday Anno Domini (or the Current Era), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... In modern usage, a Communist party is a political party which promotes communism, a sociopolitical philosophy based on the particular interpretation of Marxism put forth by Vladimir Lenin. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1999 is a common year starting on Friday Anno Domini (or the Current Era), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Demirchyan had a difficult childhood. Both his parents died when he was still an infant. He decided on a career in engineering, and took up studies at the Yerevan Polytechnical Institute in 1949. After graduating in 1954 he worked briefly for a research institute in Leningrad before returning to Armenia to join the Yerevan Electrotechnical Factory. A member of the Communist Party since 1955, he soon became secretary of the factory party committee. Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. ...

His party career flourished and in 1959 was sent to Moscow to the Higher Party School, gaining his diploma in 1961, a prerequisite for higher party service. He returned to work as chief engineer of the Yerevan Electrotechnical Factory and later director. In 1966 he became third secretary of the Yerevan party committee, joining the secretariat of the Armenian Central Committee in 1972. Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA:   listen?) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ...

Demirchyan was appointed first secretary of the Armenian Communist Party in November 1974, effectively the boss of Soviet Armenia. Two years later he also became chairman of the Armenian Supreme Soviet. During his fourteen-year rule, Armenia was propsperous by Soviet standards, its economy helped by semi-legal and illegal businesses. However, Demirchyan failed to quell popular demonstrations in Armenia calling for Nagorno-Karabakh to be transferred to Armenian jurisdiction. He lost the support of the Kremlin leadership and was removed "on health grounds" in May 1988. Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijani: Dağlıq Qarabağ or Yuxarı Qarabağ, literally mountainous black garden or upper black garden; Russian: Нагорный Карабах, translit. ... Kremlin (Кремль) is the Russian word for citadel or castle and refers to any major fortified central complex found in historical Russian cities. ...

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 when Armenia regained its independence, Demirchyan became director of the Armelectromash electrical equipment plant, the biggest plant in Armenia. He kept out of politics and was a half-forgotten figure from the past, until his surprise reemergence into politics in 1998.

Although not a member of any political party, he contested the March 1998 presidential elections, managing to garner 30 per cent of the votes in the first round and 40 per cent in the second-round run-off against the eventual winner, Robert Kocharyan. He later formed the People's Party, teaming up with defence minister Vasgen Sarkissian to form the Miasnutyun (Unity) alliance to contest the May 1999 parliamentary elections. Robert Sedraki Kocharian (Armenian: Ռոբերտ Քոչարյան) (born August 31, 1954) is the second president of the third republic of Armenia. ... Vasgen Sarkissian (1959 - October 26, 1999), also known as Vazgen Sarkisyan, was Prime Minister of Armenia for the Republican Party of Armenia from June 1999 until his death. ...

The alliance won with 43 per cent of the vote and the majority of parliamentary seats. Demirchyan was overwhelmingly elected speaker in June 1999, four months before he, Sarkissian and other senior politicians were assassinated.

He was married with two sons, one of whom Stepan Demirchyan became a politician in Armenia after independence in 1991. Jump to: navigation, search Stepan Demirchyan (born June 7, 1959 Yerevan) is an Armenian politician and son of the Communist-era Armenian leader Karen Demirchyan. ...

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