Karen Demirchyan

Demirchyan became the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Armenian SSR in 1974, the de facto leader of Soviet Armenia. He held this position until 1988, overseeing a period of economic development and cultural preservation.

Demirchyan resigned as First Secretary in May 1988 amid growing public protests for the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. His resignation marked the end of Soviet-era leadership and the rise of the Karabakh movement.

Demirchyan was shot and killed in the Armenian National Assembly on October 27, 1999, along with Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan and six others, during a terrorist attack by a group led by Nairi Hunanyan. The attack targeted the country's political leadership.

Demirchyan was elected Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia in June 1999, following his party's success in the parliamentary elections. This position made him the second-highest official in the country before his assassination.