The new President of Armenia Armen Sarkisian was sworn in on Monday, although power is expected to remain with his predecessor while the country shifts to a parliamentary form of government. The former ambassador to the UK took the oath of office at an extraordinary parliamentary session, AFP reported. The 64-year old received blessings from the head of the Armenian Church, Catholicos Garegin II. Sarkisian’s inauguration allows the 2015 constitutional amendments to come into force, turning the ex-Soviet republic into a parliamentary republic with a strong prime minister. The changes were initiated by the outgoing president Serzh Sargsyan and were approved in a referendum with 63 percent of voters backing the changes. Armen Sarkisian briefly served as prime minister in 1996-1997.