It goes without saying that in the run-up to the May parliamentary elections in Armenia, the political parties are making a number of campaign promises to the voters.

As in past elections, what voters are mostly interested to hear are the pledges the parties are making in the social sector – education, health, pensions, employment, etc.

What follows is a summary of some of the more interesting aspects of the campaign pledges being made by the ARF and the Republican Party of Armenia in this regard.

The ARF’s election campaign focuses more on the social sector.

It sees the elimination of poverty in  2012-2017 as a major priority, coupled with the creation of a vibrant middle class and guaranteeing a more comfortable living standard.

The ARF pledges to set the average old-age pension at 63,000 AMD, more than doubling the current 31,255 amount.

The party proposes to cut unemployment by creating 200,000 new jobs and raise the hourly minimum employment rate from 196 AMD to 400 AMD.

The ARF promises to increase the hourly wages of those working in the national security and defense sectors, the police and health fields. They say the average monthly salary will be 500,000AMD ($1,288).

The party pledges to make all pre-school education free in Armenia and to raise the average monthly salaries of sector staff to 110,000 ($283).

The ARF says it wants to institute serious reforms in the health sector by allocating 150,000 AMD to each citizen for medical costs, up from the current 63,000.

The party says it will allocate shelter to 5,000-6,000 needy families in Armenia and will freeze utility rates for the next five years.

The ARF says it will allocate apartments to families with five or more children at no cost.

The party plans to tackle the country’s demographic problem and raise the average growth rate by 50,000 annually.

In contrast, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) makes no quantitative pledges but affirms that changes will be made to eradicate social inequality.

In this context the RPA says it will provide free education and employment opportunities to destitute strata of society than are able to work. Those not employable will be targeted with additional assistance.

The RPA pledges to continue with implementing compensation for those who had deposited money in the Soviet Union’s Economy Bank up till 1993.

The party says it will not only expand the current “Accessible Apartments” and “Apartments for Young Families” programs, but will subsidize new credit instruments for young people to assist with education related and other social issues.

It says that it will continue to raise old-age pensions and state assistance to families with three or more children. The party doesn’t disclose any figures regarding these increases.

The RPA says it will focus more on preventative health measures and promises to create a health insurance scheme for the neediest segments of society.