Alen Roberti Simonyan (Armenian: Ալեն Ռոբերտի Սիմոնյան; born 5 January 1980) is an Armenian politician currently serving as the president of the National Assembly of Armenia since 2 August 2021. He served as the acting president of Armenia from 1 February 2022 to 13 March 2022, and is a former member of Yerevan City Council.
Alen Simonyan | |
|---|---|
Ալեն Սիմոնյան | |
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| President of the National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2 August 2021 | |
| President | Armen Sarkissian Vahagn Khachaturyan |
| Preceded by | Ararat Mirzoyan |
| Acting President of Armenia | |
| In office 1 February 2022 – 13 March 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Nikol Pashinyan |
| Preceded by | Armen Sarkissian |
| Succeeded by | Vahagn Khachaturyan |
| Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia | |
| In office 15 January 2019 – 2 August 2021 Serving with Lena Nazaryan and Vahe Enfiajyan | |
| President | Ararat Mirzoyan |
| Preceded by | Eduard Sharmazanov Arpine Hovhannisyan Mikayel Melkumyan |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 16 May 2018 | |
| Member of the Yerevan City Council | |
| In office 2017–2018 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alen Roberti Simonyan 5 January 1980 Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Civil Contract |
| Spouse | Mariam Margaryan |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Yerevan State University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Armenia |
| Branch/service | Armenian Ground Forces |
| Years of service | 2000–2002 |
Career edit
Simonyan studied at the Faculty of Law of Yerevan State University, graduating in 2000. He would go on to serve two years in the Armed Forces of Armenia, before becoming Assistant to the Chairman of the Court of the First Instance of Ajapnyak and Davitashen Communities. From 2003 to 2004, he worked as a human resources manager at Converse Bank.[1]
From 2006 to 2007, Simonyan worked at a radio station. He then cooperated with television companies TV5, Yerkir Media, and Armenia TV for the next five years, directing and producing a number of musical and political video clips. In 2012, he became Editor-in-Chief of "Ararat" magazine before founding Ararat Media Group LLC (araratnews.am web site and "Ararat" magazine).[1]
Simonyan was one of a number of organizers of the "Car free" civil protest against the rise in prices for transportation.
On 30 May 2015, he was elected member of the Civil Contract party board, becoming a spokesperson for the party. He was re-elected on 30 October 2016.
From 2017 to 2018, Simonyan was a member of the Yerevan City Council in the composition of Way Out Alliance. On 16 May 2018, he was elected Member of the National Assembly by the national electoral list of the Way Out Alliance. Later that year, on 9 December 2018, he was elected member of the National Assembly by the national electoral list of the My Step Alliance.[1]
On 15 January 2019, he was elected vice president of the National Assembly, then president of the National Assembly on 2 August 2021. After the resignation of President Armen Sarkissian on 1 February 2022, Simonyan assumed the powers and duties of president of Armenia as acting president.[2]
Personal life edit
Simonyan is married to Mariam Margaryan and has three children.[1][3][4]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "National Assembly of Armenia | Official Web Site | parliament.am". parliament.am. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "BREAKING: Why Armenian president Armen Sarkissian resigns? (VIDEO)". News.am. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ "Yerkir.am: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan to hand over power". News.am. 24 May 2021. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022.
Free News website, owned by National Assembly deputy speaker Alen Simonyan's wife Mariam Margaryan, had won the right to broadcast in Yerevan in a telecommunication license competition this year, writes Yerkir.am of Armenia.
- ^ Sarukhanyan, Vahe (3 November 2021). "Armenian Parliament Speaker and Friends Party on Mykonos: Who Footed the Bill?". Hetq. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022.
Simonyan told Hetq that he had not been on vacation before leaving for Vienna, but on September 6, he posted a photo from Greece with his wife, Mariam Margaryan, on his Instagram page, writing, "Three years later, three days off."