Levon Ter-Petrosyan

Levon Ter-Petrosyan, whose term began in 1991, was the first president of the Republic of Armenia,. Although he was forced to step down in 1998 and remained out of the political spotlight for almost a decade, he was an official candidate in the 2008 Armenian Presidential Elections. With 21.5% of the popular vote, Ter-Petrosyan came in second to Serzh Sargsyan.

1. October 16, 1991: First president-elect of newly-indepedent Republic of Armenia
2. September 22, 1996: Re-elected as president
3. February, 1998: Forced to step down due to diplomatic controversy with Azerbaijan
4. October 26, 2007: Returns to politics by delivering a speech on the 16th anniversary of Armenian independence
5. February 19, 2008: Ter-Petrosyan comes in second in the 2008 Armenian Presidential Elections
6. February 20, 2008: Claiming electoral fraud, Ter-Petrosyan leads protests in Yerevan

Ter-Petrosyan's term as the first president of Armenia came to a controversial end after he granted concessions to Azerbaijan, sparking a diplomatic scandal. The public felt that he had undermined national security and he was forced to step down in 1998. When he returned to politics in 2007, he was popularly supported in the presidential elections.

After Ter-Petrosyan came in second to Serzh Sargsyan, he accused the government of electoral fraud and led tens of thousands in public protests for over a week in Yerevan, the nation's capital. A state of emergency was imposed and eight people were killed.

• Official Site: Levon for President
• Wikipedia: Levon Ter-Petrossian
• Google News: Levon Ter-Petrosyan
• Today.AZ: "Proposal of the Co-Chairmen Regarding the Resolution of the Karabakh..." (February 18, 2008)
  • "If there are principal disputes around the future status of Karabakh, the issue is not worthy of discussing. It is more important to concentrate efforts on the resolution of other issues, and this is the main point of the phased resolution of the conflict."
• A1+ News: "Levon Ter-Petrosyan is the Real Candidate" (February 16, 2008)
• Panorama.am: "Levon Ter-Petrosyan the Most Disjointed Candidate" (February 16, 2008)
• Panorama.am: "Levon Ter-Petrosyan Brings Threats" (February 14, 2008)
• Huliq: "First President of Armenia Levon Ter Petrosian Announces Candidacy" (Spetember 26, 2007)
  • "Supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan say that he won the liberation war that was posed on Armenia by neighboring Azerbaijan and lead Armenia to true independence, making the country a regional leader."