Edmon Hrachiki Marukyan (Armenian: Էդմոն Հրաչիկի Մարուքյան), is an Armenian lawyer and politician who is the leader of the Bright Armenia Party. Currently serving as the Amb*ador-at-large of Armenia․ He was a member of the National *embly of Armenia from 2012 to 2021. He was elected to parliament for the first time as an independent in May 2012. He founded the Bright Armenia Party in 2015 and has served as its chairman since. He was reelected to the National *embly in April 2017, leading the electoral list of the Way Out Alliance, an electoral alliance between Bright Armenia, Civil Contract and the Hanrapetutyun Party. He was elected to parliament again in the 2018 parliamentary elections, leading Bright Armenia's electoral list.

Contents

• 1 Early life and education
• 2 Career
• 3 Political career
  • 3.1 2012 election
• 4 Early life and education
• 5 Early political career
  • 5.1 2017 election
  • 5.2 2018 election
  • 5.3 2021 election
  • 5.4 Amb*ador-at-large
• 6 Personal life
• 7 Notes
• 8 References

Early life and education

Edmon Marukyan in 2013 as a human rights activist

Edmon Marukyan was born on January 13, 1981 in Kirovakan (now Vanadzor), Armenian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union. He attended School #6 of his home town Vanadzor, then served in the Armenian Army.

Marukyan graduated from the Moscow Ins*ute of Commerce and Law in 2002 with a Bachelor of Law degree. In 2006 he received qualification as a Specialist for the Protection of Human Rights and Interests from the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Warsaw. In 2007 he has graduated from the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia with a Master of Law degree. Three years later, in 2010, Marukyan received an LL.M. studying Human Rights and International Law at the University of Minnesota Law School as a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow.

Along with his legal education, Marukyan participated in numerous specialized advocacy and human rights training courses in Armenia, Poland, Hungary, the US, Switzerland, Denmark, France, Germany, and Russia.

Career

Since 2001, Marukyan has been actively involved in human rights activism in Armenia. He has been the head of several non-government human rights organizations. From 2007 to 2008 he lectured philosophy and political science at Vanadzor State University. Since 2008 Marukyan has been a member of the Chamber of Advocates of Armenia. He is also the author of a number of articles and reports on human rights in Armenia. Since 2001, he has specialized in the protection of human rights and has been considerably involved in the strengthening of democracy and civil society in Armenia. In 2008 Marukyan became the chairman of the Center for Strategic Litigations Human Rights NGO. In 2005, as a human rights NGO representative, he became an observer at the Public Monitoring Group, observing the rights of prisoners in penitentiary ins*utions in Armenia. He has provided legal consultation to a number of projects, defended citizens in court hearings, and conducted litigations for cases in the European Court of Human Rights.

Political career

2012 election

The 2012 parliamentary election was held on May 6. He defeated Republican Viktor Dallakyan, who was previously an independent candidate and became a member of the ruling party just months prior to the election.

Armenian media widely responded to his election, calling him the "Bright Spot" or the "Kinder Surprise" of the May 6 election.

On May 8, 2012, just two days after the election Marukyan announced that he will not join any parliamentary faction.

Early life and education

Edmon Marukyan was born in Vanadzor, Armenia. Edmon holds two Master’s Degrees, one in Jurisprudence from the Public Administration Academy of Armenia and the second one in Law (LL.M.) with concentration in International Human Rights Law from the University of Minnesota Law School. Edmon Marukyan is a human rights advocate and the Chairman of the “Center for Strategic Litigations” Human Rights NGO since 2010. Since 2001, he has specialized in the protection of human rights and was considerably involved in strengthening of democracy and sustaining civil society in Armenia. He worked as legal advisor, defending citizens in courts, conducted strategic litigations taking cases up to the European Court of Human Rights.From 2010 to 2012, Marukyan worked as a consultant at Human Rights Watch, conducting research on human rights issues and drafting statements, letters and reports.

Early political career

On December 12, 2015, Edmon Marukyan has established the Bright Armenia Political Party with likeminded, professional young people who have had successful career development achievements in their respective fields and had interest in entering politics and contributing to the democratic development of Armenia.

In October 2016, Bright Armenia participated in local-self-government elections of Vanadzor (third largest city in Armenia with 80,000 population) and came the second after the ruling party, taking 10 seats out of 33 in the Local Council. On December 12, 2016, in cooperation with “Civic Contract” and “Hanrapetutyun” Political Parties, “Bright Armenia” has formed a political coalition named “Way Out”, electing Edmon Marukyan to lead the proportional list of the Coalition in Parliamentary elections of April 2, 2017. The “Way Out” Coalition came the third out of four political powers forming the new Parliament, which consisted of 105 seats. “Way Out” Coalition was presented in the National *embly through 9 MPs.

2017 election

In the 2017 parliamentary election, Marukyan led the electoral list of the Way Out Alliance, which won 9 seats out of 105 in the National *embly, becoming the 3rd political power out of 4 entering the National *embly.

In addition to his committee *ignments, Marukyan has been a member of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary *embly of the Council of Europe since 2017. As part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe:group, he serves on the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination.

2018 election

President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian met with the leader of the "Bright Armenia" party, Edomon Marukyan.

After the Velvet Revolution the parliament was dissolved, and snap elections were conducted in which 11 political powers took part, however, only 3 parties made it to the Parliament. Bright Armenia Party, led by Edmon Marukyan, came in the third, taking 18 seats out of 132 in the new Parliament. Edmon Marukyan was leading the “Bright Armenia” Parliamentary Faction in the National *embly of Armenia till June 2021. Edmon Marukyan has been member to the Parliamentary Standing Committees on:- Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs; Foreign Relations; State and Legal Affairs (V convocation),- State and Legal Affairs and Protection of Human Rights (VI convocation),- Foreign Relations (VII convocation).At the same time, Edmon Marukyan has been member to the Parliamentary *embly of Council of Europe (PACE). He has been member to the PACE Committees on:- Legal Affairs and Human Rights (First Vice-Chairperson)- Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights- Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee)- Equality and Non-Discrimination - Sixth Convocation NA EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) - Parliamentary *embly of the Council of Europe - Parliamentary *embly of the NATO- Interparliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the National *embly of the Republic of Armenia and Federal *embly of the Russian Federation - Interparliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the National *embly of the Republic of Armenia and National *embly of the Artsakh Republic.

2021 election

In the 2021 snap parliamentary election, Marukyan led the electoral list of the Bright Armenia Party, receiving 1.22% of the votes and failing to overcome the 5% threshold to gain seats in parliament.

Amb*ador-at-large

On March 14, 2022, by the decision of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, according to Article 16, Part 1 of the Law on Diplomatic Service of RA, Edmon Marukyan was appointed Amb*ador-at-large of the Republic of Armenia.

Personal life

Marukyan is married and has 3 children. He is fluent in Armenian, English and Russian.

Notes

References