Four minority groups to be represented in Armenian parliament

Central Electoral Commission of Armenia released a statement concerning the new parliament. Republican Party will have 58 deputies in the parliament. Three deputies of the ruling party will represent Syriac, Kurdish and Yazidi minorities. 

Tsarukyan Coalition will have 31 deputies, including one Russian deputy.

Minority deputies who are elected from Republican Party are Syriac Arsen Mikhyalov, Kurdish Kinary Hassanov and Yazidi Rustam Mahmudian. The Russian deputy from Tsarukyan Coalition is Tatyana Mikaelyan. 

With the constitutional amendment that passed in 2015, ethnic minorities got the right to be represented in the parliament. 

Yazidi deputy Rustam Mahmudian said that this election is a turning point for Yazidi people in Armenia. He also stated that he will carry out works for making the Armenian parliament recognize the massacres of Yazidi people by ISIS in 2014 as genocide.

Arsen Mikhaylov is the chair of the largest Syriac Association in Armenia and he will represent Syriac people in Armenia with around 3.000 population. Mikhaylov stated that the cultural and educational problems of Syriac people should be discussed in the parliament. 

Kurdish deputy Kinary Hassanov thanked the Kurdish and Armenian citizens who supported him during the election campaign and added that he will work for Kurdish people in Armenia.