Andranik Nahapeti Margaryan (; 12 June 1951 – 25 March 2007) was an Armenian politician who served as the

Prime Minister of Armenia The prime minister of Armenia () is the head of government and most senior minister within the Government of Armenia, Armenian government, and is required by the constitution to "determine the main directions of policy of the Government, manage ...

from 12 May 2000, when the President appointed him, until his death on 25 March 2007. He was a member of the

Republican Party of Armenia The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA, ; , ''HHK'') is a National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Armenia, political party in Armenia led by the third president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. It was the first polit ...

. He succeeded the Sargsyan brothers: Vazgen Sargsyan, who was murdered during the

Armenian parliament shooting The 1999 Armenian parliament shooting, commonly known in Armenia as October 27 (), was a Terrorism, terrorist attack on the Armenian National Assembly (Armenia), National Assembly in the capital of Yerevan on 27 October 1999 by a group of five a ...

on 27 October 1999 and Aram Sargsyan, whom the President appointed a week later, but fired on 2 May 2000.

Soviet Armenia

Andranik Margaryan was born on 12 June 1949 in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

(in what was then the

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia bordered the Soviet republics ...

of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) to a family of

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

survivors originally from Sason,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. He studied cybernetics at the Yerevan Polytechnic University and graduated as a

computer engineer Computer engineering (CE, CoE, or CpE) is a branch of engineering specialized in developing computer hardware and software. It integrates several fields of electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science. Computer engine ...

. He first became engaged in Armenian politics in the late 1970s when he joined an illegal political party, the National United Party, that was campaigning for Armenia's secession from the

. He has served on the National United Party's board since 1973. Margaryan had been a longtime critic of the totalitarian government of the Soviet Union. He envisioned an independent, democratic Armenia. Police arrested him in 1974 and a court sentenced him to two years in Soviet labor camps for proliferating unpatriotic ideas and activities.

Armenian independence

In 1992 after Armenia's independence, Margaryan became a registered member of the

(HHK), the first registered party in the 3rd Republic of Armenia. He influenced the party platform with the ideology he expressed as a member of the National United Party. He served as the Republican Party's Chairman of the Board from 1993 until his death. He had also been a member of the "Yerkrapah" Volunteer union since 1996 and served on the YVU's board. In 2000 he was appointed

after the 1999 Armenian parliament shooting led to the murder of then prime minister Vazgen Sargsyan. Vazgen's brother, Aram Sargsyan, who the President appointed a week later as prime minister, was fired on 2 May 2000, leading to Andranik Markaryan being appointed as the 14th prime minister of Armenia. He had planned to resign after the 12 May 2007, elections in Armenia. Throughout his career, he was awarded the “ Garegin Nzhdeh” medal by the Armenian Defense Ministry alongside the “ Aram Manukian”, “

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and co-founded the ...

” and “ Vazgen Sargsyan” medals.

Heart problems and death

Andranik Margaryan died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on 25 March 2007, after nearly seven years in office, the second prime minister of Armenia to die in office and the first not related to an assassination. The head of Yerevan's municipal ambulance service reported that the prime minister was unconscious and his heart had stopped beating by the time two ambulance crews arrived at his apartment early in the afternoon. Margaryan was immediately given resuscitation treatment but did not respond. Margaryan had a history of serious cardiac problems and twice underwent heart surgery, first in Armenia in 1999 and later in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He regularly visited French and Russian clinics for medical examinations. Andranik Margaryan is survived by a wife, two daughters, one son, and five grandchildren. In November 2011 his son Taron was elected Mayor of Yerevan.

Career outside politics

Apart from politics, Margaryan has also followed a career in scientific research. From 1972 until his arrest in 1974, he worked at the Yerevan branch of Scientific-Research Institute of Gas Industry as a senior engineer. After his release from the Soviet labor camps in 1977, he worked at the Scientific-Research Institute of Energy as chief engineer before moving on to find work in the Energy-Technical Factory as head of department in 1978. From 1979 to 1990, he worked at the Information Counting Centre of the Trade Ministry as the head of department of electronics. From 1990 to 1994 he was the head of the information department at the State Department of Special Programs. He then settled to work in Armenia's State Architectural University as junior scientist from 1994 to 1995.Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) article on Andranik Margaryan's passing.

References

External links

Death report
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaryan, Andranik 1949 births 2007 deaths Armenian dissidents National Polytechnic University of Armenia alumni Prime ministers of Armenia Politicians from Yerevan Republican Party of Armenia politicians Burials at the Komitas Pantheon