The Council worked closely with the President of the Republic of Armenia, the Head of the Government, and the heads of state agencies. The commissions of the Public Council actively cooperated with the representatives of the relevant state structures. The culture of public dialogue and public discussions reached a new level of development.
The 1996 presidential election turned into widespread electionfalsification in favor of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, while the opposition candidate Vazgen Manukyan clearly won the election. The administration of Levon Ter-Petrosyan did not concede positions. Even as a result of widespread electionfalsification, according to official data, Vazgen Manukyan received 41% of the vote, while Levon Ter-Petrosyan received 51,3%.
In September 1992 Vazgen Manukyan was appointed the Minister of State, thereafter the Defense Minister of the Republic of Armenia, at the same time managing the industrial complex of the Republic of Armenia.During that period the regular army of the Republic of Armenia was finally formed, after many defeatsthe period of brilliant victories of the Karabakh army began, and hostilities were replaced by political negotiations.
In May 1990 Vazgen Manukyan was elected a deputy of the Supreme Council of Armenia. On August 13, 1990 he was appointed by the Supreme Council as the Chairman (Prime Minister) of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Armenia. That was a hard period for Armenia: the USSR was rapidly collapsing, the political and economic blockade of Armenia from the north began.
Until 1988 Vazgen Manukyan was a member-organizer of various political organizations, uniting the Armenian intelligentsia, and it is not accidental that he is also at the roots of the Karabakh movement.
“When the movement of 88 started, we realized how important those round-ups were and how significant they were. The intelligentsia immediately united, because people already knew each other, approached the matters in the same way, shared the same ideas. That was the greatest achievement of the “Feasts of the Translators”.-Vazgen Manukyan
Vazgen Manukyan started his political activity when he was a student. On April 24, 1967, with a group of like-minded people he organized a demonstration in front of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow, developing the scenario in advance, visiting Moscow universities and dormitories, finding Armenians by lists and informing about the demonstration.
Vazgen Manukyan was the first Chairman of the Administrative Board of the Armenian National Movement. In May 1990 he was elected as a Deputy of the National Assembly of Armenia. On August 13, 1990 he was appointed Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. In 1991 he resigned from the post and founded the Party of National Democratic Union. He remains the Chairman of the National Democratic Union up to now.
Interviews
November 21, 2016
August 27, 1993
