President of the Republic of Artsakh
Արցախի հանրապետության նախագահ  (Armenian)
Coat of arms of Artsakh
Incumbent Arayik Harutyunyan since 21 May 2020
Status	Head of state Head of government
Residence	Presidential Palace
Seat	Stepanakert
Appointer	Direct popular vote
Term length	5 years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Robert Kocharyan
Formation	29 December 1994
Website	www.president.nkr.am

Politics of Artsakh
Constitution Constitution
Executive President Arayik Harutyunyan Current government
Legislature National Assembly President: Arthur Tovmasyan Members
Judiciary Judiciary
Administrative divisions Administrative divisions
Elections and Referendums Political parties Recent elections General: 2020 Presidential: 2012 2017 Parliamentary: 2010 2015 Referendums 1991 (independence) 2006 2017
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister: David Babayan Representative offices International recognition Visa policy
Related topics Political status of Artsakh OSCE Minsk Group Politics of Armenia Politics of Azerbaijan
Other countries
v t e

The president of Artsakh or president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the head of state and head of government of the de facto Republic of Artsakh.

In a constitutional referendum held in 2017, citizens of the Republic voted in favor of transforming Artsakh into a presidential system.

Former prime minister and state minister Arayik Harutyunyan is the incumbent president elected in 2020 Artsakhian general election.^[1][2]

Constitutional powers

As a republic with presidential system, Artsakh grants significant power to the president who controls the executive branch, represents the country abroad and appoints the ministers. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the Artsakh Defence Army and has the right to appoint and dismiss the supreme command of the armed forces and other troops.

Article 93 of the current constitution determines the functions of the president based on which the president:

1. Shall administer the domestic and foreign policies of the State;
2. Shall exercise general management of the bodies of the state administration system;
3. Shall define the structure and rules of operation of the Government and other state bodies ;
4. Shall appoint and dismiss the state minister and ministers;
5. Shall administer state property and finances;
6. Shall make appointments to the state positions, in cases prescribed by law;
7. May form advisory bodies;
8. Shall represent the Republic of Artsakh in international relations, sign international treaties, present international agreements to the National Assembly for ratification and sign their ratification forms, approve, suspend or revoke the international agreements not requiring ratification;
9. Shall appoint and recall the diplomatic representatives of the Republic of Artsakh to foreign countries and international organizations; receive the credentials and letters of recall of diplomatic representatives of foreign states and international organizations;
10. May issue decree on not holding elections and referendum during martial law;
11. May dissolve the National Assembly except for one-year period following the opening of the first parliamentary session, in times of war and emergency as well as when he/she, during martial law, has issued a decree on not holding elections;
12. Shall apply to the President of the National Assembly with a proposal to convene a special session or sitting of the National Assembly;
13. Shall submit the Draft State Budget to the National Assembly;
14. Shall have the right to legislative initiative;
15. Shall apply to the National Assembly with a recommendation of amnesty;
16. May deliver an address to the people and the National Assembly;
17. Shall submit to the National Assembly an annual communication on the implementation progress and results of his/her Program of previous year and on the Program of following year;
18. Shall propose to the National Assembly a candidate for the Prosecutor General; at the recommendation of the Prosecutor General, shall appoint and dismiss the Deputy Prosecutor Generals;
19. Shall appoint one member-lawyer of the Supreme Judicial Council;
20. In the event of a natural disaster or other emergency situations, shall take measures appropriate to the situation and address the people on that matter; if necessary, shall declare state of emergency;
21. Shall decorate with orders and medals of the Republic of Artsakh and confere the highest military and honorary titles, the highest diplomatic and other class ranks;
22. Shall decide on the issue of granting pardon to convicts under the procedure prescribed by law;
23. Shall, in the cases and under the procedure prescribed by law, decide on issues in respect of granting and terminating citizenship of the Republic of Artsakh;
24. Shall adopt normative and individual legal acts: such as decrees and executive orders.^[3]

Election

Requirements

The Constitution of Artsakh requires that the president should be at least 35-years-old, being a citizen of only of the Republic of Artsakh for the preceding ten years and having resided permanently only in Artsakh at least preceding ten years.^[4]

Term limits

The president is elected in a five-year term and can be reelected only once.^[5]

List of heads of state (1992–present)

Chairmen of the Supreme Council (1992–1994)

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Artur Mkrtchyan (1959–1992)	7 January 1992	14 April 1992 †	98 days	ARF
–		Georgi Petrosian (born 1952) Acting	15 April 1992	14 June 1993	1 year, 60 days	ARF
–		Karen Baburyan [hy] (1954–2011) Acting	14 June 1993	29 December 1994	1 year, 198 days	Independent

Presidents (1994–present)

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term of office			Political party	Elected
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Robert Kocharyan (born 1954)	29 December 1994	20 March 1997	2 years, 81 days	Independent	1996
–		Leonard Petrosyan (1952–1999[α]) Acting	20 March 1997	8 September 1997	172 days	Independent	–
2		Arkadi Ghukasyan (born 1957)	8 September 1997	7 September 2007	10 years	Independent	1997 2002
3		Bako Sahakyan (born 1960)	7 September 2007	21 May 2020	12 years, 257 days	Independent	2007 2012 2017
4		Arayik Harutyunyan (born 1973)	21 May 2020	Incumbent	2 years, 74 days	Free Motherland	2020

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