Karen Demirchyan was a Soviet Armenian communist, First Secretary of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1974 to 1988 and later independent politician.
He was CP SU member 1955. In 1954 he graduated from Yerevan Polytechnical Institute, Faculty of Mechanics, worked in Leningrad. Since 1965 he was the engineer technologist, chief engineer of the Yerevan Electrotechnical Factory, party committee secretary and later director. In 1966 he became third secretary of the Yerevan party committee, joining the secretariat of the Armenian Central Committee in 1972.
Demirchyan was elected first secretary of the Armenian Communist Party in November 1974 and stayed in office till 1988. In 1998 he became the leader of the People's Party of Armenia. Demirchyan was overwhelmingly elected speaker in June 1999.
Four months later, on October 27, hew assassinated in the Armenian Parliament. In 1999 he was awarded the title of the RA National Hero posthumously.
published: 2006-01-01 00:00:00 last updated:2010-02-02 13:31:48
