 He is seen as the most influential of Armenia's former government-connected oligarchs, and a key business partner of former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.Tsarukyan is the founder and former leader of the Prosperous Armenia political party, with it gaining 15.1% of the vote in the 2007 Armenian parliamentary election.In the ensuing 2012 Armenian parliamentary election, his party increased its share to 19.1% of the popular vote.