Robert Kocharyan
Robert Sedraki Kocharian (born August 31, 1954) is the current president of Armenia. He was born in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian exclave in Azerbaijan. After becoming president of Nagorno-Karabakh in 1994, he became Prime Minister of Armenia in 1997. In April 1998, he replaced Levon Ter-Petrossian as President of Armenia.
He was a Communist Party official before the collapse of the Soviet Union but is now no longer a member of any political party. Kocharian is considered a strong nationalist due to his tough stance on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, his 2003 re-election was marred by allegations of electoral fraud.
There were mounting calls for Mr Kocharyan's resignation in early 2004 with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets in support of demands for a referendum of confidence in him.
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