The Republic of Armenia is a sovereign, democratic, social, rule of law state. The state power is administered pursuant to the Constitution and the laws based on the principle of separation of the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia adopted on July 5, 1995, through a popular referendum provided legal guarantees of civil rights, the development of democratic institutions, and the creation of a market economy to secure the future stability of the Armenian state.

The President
Armenia is a republic with a presidential governing system. The president is the head of state. According to Chapter 3, Article 49 of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, "The President of the Republic of Armenia shall uphold the Constitution, and ensure the normal functioning of the legislative, executive and judicial authorities. The President of the Republic shall be the guarantor of the independence, territorial integrity and security of the Republic."

The same person cannot hold the office of president for more than two consecutive terms. The people directly elect the President for a five-year term. The President's primary responsibility is the formulation of policy, the conduct of foreign and defense policies, and ensuring the normal functioning of state institutions. The first president of the Republic of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrossian, was elected on October 16, 1991. In 1998, he resigned. Then-Prime Minister Robert Kocharian became Acting President. Extraordinary elections were set for March 16, 1998. Because no candidate garnered 50% + 1 of the votes, the first round of elections required a run-off between the top two candidates from the 12 original candidates. Acting President Robert Kocharian was elected President of the Republic of Armenia on March 31, 1998.