User:QNK/Hratche Koundarjian

Hratche Koundarjian
Hratche Koundarjian is a Labour Party candidate, standing for election in the Lewes constituency, which encompasses the East Sussex towns of Seaford, Newhaven, Polegate, Lewes and surrounding villages. The General Election will take place on May 6 and he has formalised his main election themes. His website is www.votelewes.org

Policies
Mr. Koundarjian’s policies offer a mixture of local and national campaigns. On a national scale he supports the 10:10 climate change campaign, House of Lords reform and the Robin Hood Tax, a levy on financial institutions for every transaction they make. 

In his constituency, Hratche’s predominant campaign is to change the 'Lewes' constituency name to include the large towns of Seaford and Newhaven. Furthermore, he supports the introduction of a 20mph speed limit around schools during school opening and closing times. .

Hratche supports the opening of Newhaven West Beach, which has been closed since 2008. In addition, he supports the saving of Holmfield Place, a senior care day centre, the securing of funding for a Seahaven Community Hospital  and the launch of a Seaford Community Centre. 

On his wesbite, Hratche encourages members of the public to sign up to his campaigns as he feels that generating public support on local issues is a good way of re-engaging the public and increasing trust in politics and what it can achieve.

Background
Mr. Koundarjian is of Armenian background, but was born in London, UK. He currently resides in Newhaven, a small port town in the Lewes Constituency.

He has a background in working with charities, among other campaigns he has worked to secure better outcomes for foster children and their families, highlighted the continuing stigma suffered by HIV-positive children and brought the genocide in the Darfur region to mainstream attention, which he still has very strong views about. 

In 2005 Hratche set up the UK's first not-for-profit political and campaigning consultancy firm exclusively working with charities and other not-for-profit groups, which continues to operate to this day(www.principleconsulting.org.uk). During during his tenure worked on a number of high profile national and international charitbale campaigns.

Hratche also spent a short period working with the Citizens Organising Foundation in the winter and spring of 2009, before entering into employment with Breast Cancer UK, an environmental health charity that aims to highlight awareness of preventative issues surrounding the treatment and care of these women. He is currently their campaign manager, working on the No More BPA Camapign. (www.nomorebpa.org.uk)

Following university, Hratche took on work as a researcher for a number of Labour back bench MPs. He also worked as an intern on Capitol Hill, Washington, where he worked with the Democratic Steve Rothman, a Congressman. 

Returning to the UK in 2001, Hratche helped set up a campaign group to combat genocide denial, before returning to work in Parliament as a researcher.

At 32, Hratche is unmarried. His immediate family continue to reside in West London.