YEREVAN, March 26 (RIA Novosti) - Armenia's defense minister, Serzh Sarkisyan, has been appointed acting prime minister, an Armenian parliamentarian said Monday.
Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan died Sunday of a heart attack at the age of 55.
The Armenian government and presidential administration have neither confirmed nor denied the appointment.
On Monday, President Robert Kocharyan accepted the Cabinet's resignation due to Markaryan's death. The Armenian leader charged the Cabinet with continuing their duties until a new Cabinet could be formed.
Parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for May 12, and after the first session of a new parliament, the Cabinet will resign again.
Markaryan was Armenia's prime minister since May 2000.
In 1997, he was elected chairman of the Republican Party, which came to head the ruling coalition in Armenia in 2003.
