Levon Ter-Petrosyan became president at the age of 46
Armenia's first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan turns 68 today. The leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) announced in December 2012 that he was not going to make another bid to return to power in February's presidential election citing his age as the main reason to challenge [incumbent president] Serzh Sargsyan for a second time.
At the beginning of the Karabakh movement, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, aged 43, was working at the Matenadaran Manuscript Depository as a senior researcher. At the age of 46, he became the first President of independent Armenia. During his tenure in office, Armenia triumphed in the Artsakh war and forced Azerbaijan to sign a cease-fire agreement. However, the Karabakh conflict was not finally resolved. Thanks to Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Karabakh authorities were involved in the talks over the Karabakh conflict. At the age of 51, Ter-Petrosyan was re-elected as Armenia's President for a second time although the country's voters did not perceive him unequivocally.
In 1997, Ter-Petrosyan wrote his famous article "Peace or War." The following year he yielded the power to the ‘party of war' under the pressure of ‘famous forces.'
In 2007, 62-year-old Levon Ter-Petrosyan returned to politics to announce his intention to contest the 2008 presidential election. The then president Robert Kocharyan, who saw Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan as his successor, said Ter-Petrosyan would participate in the election as an ordinary oppositional figure, thereby predetermining his fate in the presidential race.
At the expense of the ten victims during the March 1, 2008, post-election clashes, the authorities prevented Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who had twice headed the country, to come to power for the third time. After Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Armenia has had two presidents - Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan. Levon Ter-Petrosyan described the years of their rule as kleptocracy. Despite the assurances that the country is on the verge of destruction, Ter-Petrossian bowed out of the unfolding presidential race for the second time over his age.
However, there are numerous presidents in the globe who are his age and even older. Former president of France, Charles de Gaulle, was 68 when he returned to power. The seventh president of Israel, Ezer Weizman, was 71 when he was elected to the post. US President Ronald Reagan came to power at 70 and immediately after assuming the presidency he started the destruction of the Soviet Empire.
