Svetlana Melkonyan, a Russian living in Etchmiadzin, is the only person in the Orinats Yerkir (Rule of Law) Party’s candidate list of national minorities.

Armenia’s Electoral Code allows political parties vying in nationwide elections to include representatives of the country’s four largest national minorities as candidates on the second national list. According to the last census held in Armenia, the four largest national minorities are the Yezidis, Russians, Assyrians and Kurds.

Russians are the second largest national minority in Armenia, numbering to 11,911 according to the 2011 census.

Melkonyan doesn’t do much campaigning. She believes that every second person knows her in Etchmiadzin, since she’s been teaching Russian in one of the town’s schools for more than 30 years.

Dominance of social issues

Svetlana Melkonyan says that representatives of national minorities in Armenia, including Russians, are not discriminated against in Armenia and live in conditions equal with those of Armenians. However, she decided to run for parliament to solve social issues.

64-year-old Svetlana has been living in Armenia most of her life - for 40 years. She says she gets a monthly pension of 45,000 drams and considers it too little for her 30-year job experience.

"This is an issue not only for Russians, but for all others, too, including Armenians. If I do not have a child or somebody to help me, I'll starve after paying my utility bills. There are many lonely people out there. If Armenians have relatives and friends to help them, then what about the representatives of the national minorities who have no friends here and live with such small pensions?” asks Melkonyan. She says that seniors barely make ends meet in Armenia.

Why the Rule of Law Party?

Melkonyan says she preferred to be included in the Rule of Law Party list since she liked the party program, especially the agricultural component, concentrating on the issue of irrigation water. She notes that her husband's relatives live in the villages and face irrigation water problems.

Her children have migrated from Armenia since they were burdened with credit obligations. She says working the land and finding a job is not easy. Melkonyan says it’s a pity that people don’t base their choice in the elections on the programs that the parties offer. She admits that her party was mistaken a few years ago (when they formed a coalition with the Republican Party of Armenia, the former government - ed.), but they have apologized and won’t make the same mistake again.

Living in Armenia vs living in Russia

Melkonyan believes that the youth won’t leave Armenia if social issues are solved and if young people have jobs and salaries. Talking about herself, she says that even if she was born in Russia, after having lived most of her life in Armenia, it feels more like home here. Melkonyan says it’s not easy to find a job in Russia either, but people still move there. Her son, for example, used to work in various road construction projects and was deceived several times, returning empty-handed. But he still tries to leave for Russia.

Melkonyan says Armenia is a country with potential, and the country needs good leaders to stand firmly on its feet. She emphasizes the human resource, the warmness and hospitality of people who live here, the beneficial nature. She says the country has all the conditions to develop tourism. Svetlana believes that the tasty vegetables and fruits of Armenia are incomparable with those in any other country.

Melkonyan sees the country’s solution in developing the economy. She cites the example of several Etchmiadzin factories that operated there in the past. Today, almost no factory functions.