In childhood, I always told my dad: "I will be a lawyer or a deputy." And my dad never joked about it, he answered seriously: "If you want something, it will definitely happen." This phrase of his has become my inner support for life.
My Roots
– I was born and raised in Riga. My dad was also born and raised here, while my mom came from Belarus as a young 16-year-old beauty – in search of a better life, love, a fiancé... (smiles). She found a good job in the garment industry and happily met my dad, who worked at Rīgas Satiksme. From that moment on, they were together for life.
Our family was always very warm, simple, and close-knit. The first child was my brother, and then I was born ten years later. It’s so cool to have an older brother! My childhood was spent in the ordinary reality of Riga: school, friends, hobbies, interests (I always had many), dreams. One dream stood out in particular; I always told my dad: "I will be a lawyer or a deputy." And my dad never joked about it, he answered seriously: "If you want something, it will definitely happen." My dad, to my great sorrow, is no longer with us; he passed away a year ago, but this phrase of his has become my inner support for life. (After a long pause)... I am my dad's daughter. I am incredibly grateful to him for his support, wisdom, and belief in me. This helped me a lot to move forward in life.
After school, I enrolled at ISMA University in the "Entrepreneurship and Tourism" faculty. It was 2007, and all the politicians around were talking about how the country would develop this industry, what brilliant prospects tourism had... And it wasn’t just words: I saw how Jūrmala was developing, how many people were coming to us, what investments were being attracted, what programs were opening in banks, how the lending process was happening... I, a young romantic girl, was very impressed by these ideas – and happily went to study to build a career and "develop the industry." I believed in the happy fate of the country! And then what happened, happened: 2008 came, then the crisis, and everything went off plan...
Although, in reality, everything in my life went off plan a bit earlier, specifically – from August 22, 2008.
My Love
– On August 22, 2008, my sister and I went to Vecā Riga to celebrate City Day – back then, there were big festive celebrations in the capital, remember? Crowds of dressed-up people of all ages were walking and having fun until morning. And then a young man approached us: "Girls, what’s going on? What’s the celebration?" We laughed: "Are you not local?" It turned out he was local, but "not quite" – a sailor, who is more often not in Riga than in it... We walked and talked all night until seven in the morning. Dima asked for my phone number and called just a few hours later: "Are you awake? I invite you on a date!" On that same date – how to call it, the first or the second? – he proposed to me. Just like in the movies (laughs).
We immediately submitted our application to the registry office; he went to sea for five months, and upon his return, we got married. And we have been together for 18 years.
Svetlana Chulkova's family.
"Because I Want It That Way"
A year later, my studies at ISMA disappointed me: I realized that the state had played a cruel joke on us, and the prospects in the profession I had chosen with such joy and hope were fading before my eyes... I took a gap year and went to England – I decided to try studying abroad. I immediately took on a workload as I like (laughs): I started working at the same time. And after eight months, I called my husband in tears while he was at sea: "I want to go home!"
In my case, the saying "where you were born, there you are needed" worked one hundred percent. So I returned to Latvia, reinstated at the university, and graduated. By the way, this is also a good story: I defended my diploma in the eighth month of pregnancy. The professors suggested, "Come back later, take a break," but I didn’t understand: "Why?! Pregnancy is not a diagnosis, not an illness; I feel great!" I gave birth to a daughter and dove headfirst into motherhood – for a whole six months. And then something went wrong again (laughs). I arranged with my dad to take care of my daughter and called my husband at sea: "I’m going back to work!"
High Energy
– Not that he was very surprised; he knew me well, and he persuaded me a bit to stay home, saying that financially we could afford any length of maternity leave. But it wasn’t about the money – it was about my energy. I was suffocating in the role of a housewife. That’s my character. That’s the energy in me.
I went to work for a company that dealt with direct sales. Not for the money – for the experience, for communication, for the drive. And I immediately succeeded, and I did well; I quickly advanced up the career ladder, and then, that was it, I hit the ceiling. And I got bored again, but – not for long... Unexpectedly for everyone (but not for myself), I went to work at the Maritime School. I decided to get to know my beloved husband's work better (laughs). I studied the entire structure: maritime professions, documents, certificates. The whole process – from start to finish.
Then I moved to the company LAPA – it is in the top 3 companies in the world and has been operating in Latvia for almost 30 years. I underwent training and an internship in Rotterdam and became the "Coordinator of Training and Licensing for Mariners."
In an amazing way, I found myself – it was a job where every day was a joy! Yes, it’s not easy to work all over the world: not only Europe but also America, Asia, Russia, Ukraine – absolutely any sailors from all over the world were our clients. And with each one, you had to be able to negotiate, explain tasks, pass checks, obtain necessary documents. The joy continued until 2020, and then the pandemic began.
The world changed. Remember? People were locked in their homes, life slowed down, and for some, it even came to a halt. Including in our family: my husband, who usually spent months at sea, found himself at home for a long time. And for us, this period unexpectedly became... unifying. We had never communicated so much and so closely; it was such a happy time! It was as if we were discovering each other again, from unexpected sides; we watched movies, rode bikes, played board games, cooked food, and got to know each other again. I know that many couples were shaken or even broken by the pandemic, but for us – it brought us closer.
How a Cup of Coffee Can Change Life
– One day, I saw a post on social media from my long-time childhood friend Valera Petrov – he was gathering a team for the 2020 elections – extraordinary ones, for the Riga City Council, the very ones after the scandal with Mayor Nils Ušakovs. I asked him how his deputy affairs were going, and Valera suddenly invited me for coffee, saying, "I have something to discuss." I can’t say I was very interested in politics at that time, but I definitely knew more than some acquaintances who can’t always name the president and prime minister (laughs). I knew the parties, I knew how things worked there. How laws work. After all, for several years, maritime conventions, laws, documents – that was my daily routine... Moreover, on a global scale!
So, we met for coffee, Valera listened carefully to my story about work and life, and said: "Run on our list for the elections – you meet all the criteria! Especially in terms of willingness and ability to bring order and not be afraid to tackle 'overloaded' areas of work." I was so stunned that I could only say: "Can I at least discuss it with my husband? We have a child, and politics is a serious matter." Valera generously replied: "Of course! I understand everything... But keep in mind: tomorrow we have a photoshoot for the election campaign."
A Woman in Politics
My husband was brief: "If you want, try! You always succeed in whatever you undertake. Try this too. If it doesn’t work out, you’ll return to maritime affairs. If it does work out, it will benefit many people." Both options are great. So I see no reason not to try." What can I say? I’m lucky with my husband. Not all wives have such supportive husbands, especially those who are older, who support a family, who bear responsibility for everything... But I – I’m lucky.
Thus began my new life. The election campaign. I met colleagues, the party leader Alexey Roslikov. We became friends. I didn’t miss a single campaign tent, attended all meetings, communicated with people, and confirmed that my sociability was very useful here – I can indeed communicate productively with the most diverse people, and it’s not a burden for me.
I realized that I could "go into politics." Everything fell into place. And for me, this is not just a job. It’s a life’s work. Including – explaining to people how important it is to understand that politics is not an abstract "somewhere out there," but a concrete "here and now" with each of us: in new laws, permits, and restrictions, in prices in stores, at gas stations, in utility bills...
My Cause
Gradually, politics stopped being an "experiment" and became a life’s work. I participated in rallies regarding masks (we insisted on allowing masks to be worn not by compulsion, but by "common sense"), worked with people, helped them with legal issues. During COVID, my team and I consulted people, helped them write applications, fought for the rights of those who wanted to decide for themselves whether to get vaccinated or not. We saved many from dismissal. We helped many receive compensation for "downtime." By the way, it was during that period that my husband asked me: "Do you really need two such complicated jobs – in the maritime company and in politics?" This question helped me make a choice.
The year 2021 became pivotal: together with Alexey Roslikov, we created and registered the party Stabilitātei!, and we decided that our signature color would be orange – the color of energy, joy, oranges, the sun, and revolution! And we started the 2022 election campaign. We traveled all over the country – I joked that we were like the Bremen Town Musicians, and by the way, we also gathered stadiums.
After the elections, while already working in parliament, we started by literally saving people – helping them fill out questionnaires for the state language exam under the law on changing the status of Russian citizens, adopted in ... year. And there were only elderly people! They didn’t understand what was happening; they were in terrible stress... It was an incredible, huge volume of work... People came to us in droves! They shared their worries, sorrows, and begged us to be their voice in the Saeima, to "influence" and "protect." And it was precisely at that time, when we began to strengthen as a new political force, that we started facing pressure from the special services. This happens, by the way, very routinely. A call comes in: "Hello, Svetlana. Please come to us for a conversation on such and such date at such and such time." So I went. I wasn’t afraid! Honestly.
I know Latvian laws well: if detained for more than three hours, they must present charges. I was talked to for exactly two hours and fifty-nine minutes. Did they talk about anything specific? No. "What are you doing? Why are you doing this? What are your goals?" and so on in circles. No, I didn’t cry. No, I didn’t freak out. I knew and know for sure that I hadn’t done anything bad, nothing illegal – I was just running for elections from our party. And then we won.
In the morning, I woke up, the first thing I did was read the news – hooray! We made it! I was on the list under number four – and I made it! The first call was to my husband, then to my parents.
Then came the tears (laughs). Well, that was the nerves giving way after such a tense few months. But after the congratulations – work. Daily work in parliament.
In an environment where people don’t greet you – they just look through you as if you’re a nobody. In deep opposition, where every word you say is twisted. In daily abuse, where every step you take is either distorted or mocked. And how much disgusting hate flows on social media – how they called me, and all of us! They tease us by last name, as if we’re not in parliament but in a school for troubled teenagers... Well, what can I say, when people say nasty things about others, they primarily show themselves...
And we, our party, despite such treatment, through all our work, our determination, our legislative initiatives – achieved that we became recognized. And we were not "canceled" or "closed down," although Alexey Roslikov had to leave the country. We will participate in the elections on October 3, 2026, and I am confident of victory.
In April, I replaced our leader as the head of the party. Yes, I had a choice – to leave, to return to a quiet life. Or to stay.
I chose to stay. I love my country. I care about what happens to the people who are hurt by the current ruling politicians. I want to help, and I can help. And I will do it.
