Valentina Matviyenko
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| Валентина Ивановна Матвиенко | |
 Matviyenko at the World Economics Forum in Davos, Switzerland, 2007 |
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| In office October 5, 2003 – incumbent |
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| Preceded by | Vladimir Yakovlev |
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| Born | April 7, 1949 Shepetivka, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine |
| Nationality | Russia] |
| Political party | United Russia |
| Spouse | Vladimir Vasilyevich Matvienko |
| Children | Sergey Matviyenko (born 1973) |
| Alma mater | Leningrad Institute of Chemistry and Pharmaceutics |
Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko (Russian: Валенти́на Ива́новна Матвие́нко, b. April 7, 1949) is a Russian politician, a member of United Russia party. She has been the governor of Saint Petersburg since she was elected in 2003. She is currently the only woman to lead a federal subject of Russia.
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[edit] Early life
Valentina Matviyenko was born in Shepetivka in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of Western Ukraine. In 1972 she graduated from Leningrad Institute of Chemistry and Pharmaceutics and until 1984 held various leadership positions within the Komsomol organization.
[edit] Political career
In 1985 she graduated from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Academy and became a party official in Leningrad's municipal government. In 1984 - 1986 she was the First Secretary of the Krasnogvardeysky District Committee of the Party.
Matviyenko was elected as a people's deputy to the Supreme Soviet and headed the committee on women, family and children affairs.
Between 1991 and 1998 Matviyenko served in the diplomatic service and held several diplomatic positions including posts of Russian ambassador to Malta (1991-1995) and Greece (1997-1998).
On September 24, 1998, Matviyenko was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Welfare and occupied this position until 2003.
In June 1999 she worked on the Board of Directors of the ORT TV channel.
On November 20, 1999, she was involved in a life-threatening car accident.
On February 3, 2000 she was nominated for the presidency, but refused to contest. On February 29, 2000, she announced that she was considering running in the St. Petersburg governor elections to be held on May 14, and on March 10 announced that she was indeed launching her campaign. However, on April 4 she claimed that Vladimir Putin had asked her to withdraw from the elections, and did so on April 5.
On March 11, 2003 she left the Deputy PM position and was appointed presidential envoy to the Northwestern Federal District by Vladimir Putin.
[edit] Governor of Saint Petersburg
[edit] Election
On June 24, 2003, after Saint Petersburg governor Vladimir Yakovlev resigned ahead of schedule, she announced that she was ready to run for governor. Her nomination was supported by the United Russia political party. Putin controversially publicly supported her candidacy on September 2 in a meeting that was broadcast by two state-owned TV stations, an act that was seen by some as giving her unfair advantage. Previously, at the end of June, the new management of local channel St. Petersburg Television shut down a range of analytical programmes on local politics. The channel's new boss had formerly worked at pro-Kremlin television channel Rossiya.[1]
In the first round of elections held on September 21, 2003, Matviyenko came first with 48.61% of the vote, followed by Anna Markova, a former member of Yakovlev's staff, with 15.89%. 10.97 percent of the electorate voted against all nine nominees. Turnout was low at just 29%.[2] This was blamed by some on the fact that voters felt Matviyenko was being forced on them whatever their wishes.[3] "Residents felt the election was being conducted without them, that there was no point in voting because everything was decided" said city council chairman Vadim Tyulpanov, for example. Markova and others accused Matviyenko of using "her position as the president's favourite to dominate the media", since other candidates found it difficult to publicise their campaigns. To emphasise her point she rode a horse down Nevsky Prospekt with a sign saying "Would you vote for a horse if the president asked you to?"
On October 5, 2003 Matviyenko won the second round with 63 percent (vs. 24% for Anna Markova) and was elected governor of Saint Petersburg, head of the Saint Petersburg City Administration.
[edit] Policies
She pledged her support for the controversial idea of transferring some part of the capital's functions from Moscow to Saint Petersburg.[citation needed]
She also supported the construction project of the Gazprom City business center including a 300 meter skyscraper holding the headquarters of some of Gazprom's subsidiaries on the right bank of the Neva River in front of the historic Smolny Cathedral, despite current regulations forbidding construction buildings of more than 42 (48 with expert approval) meters (see Gazprom City).
[edit] Renomination by Putin
In 2005 a new Russian federal law came into force whereby governors are proposed by the President of Russia and approved or disapproved by regional legislative assemblies rather than elected by direct popular vote. On December 6, 2006, one year before her term as elected governor would expire, Matviyenko asked Vladimir Putin to nominate her for approval according to the new legislation, and he agreed. She was approved by the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly on December 22, 2006.
On March 3, 2007, scores of participants of the Dissenters' March demonstrated in the city's main avenue, Nevsky Prospekt, calling for Matviyenko's dismissal. She in turn accused them of stirring up trouble ahead of elections to the Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly scheduled for March 11, of criticising the city's perceived dynamic development and for allegedly receiving financial support from dubious sources. [4] On April 15, 2007, the Dissenters' March took place in Saint Petersburg for the second time.
[edit] Assassination attempt
On May 19, 2007, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation announced that on May 16 it had detained several members of an undisclosed youth religious group allegedly preparing an assassination attempt on Matviyenko’s life using hand grenades and plastic explosive. On May 23 FSB Director Nikolay Patrushev announced that the prevented attempt had been scheduled for June.
[edit] Family
Matviyenko has one son, Sergei Matviyenko (b. 1973). In May 2003 he was appointed Vice-President of Saint Petersburg Bank. Later he also became Vice-President and First Vice-President (2005) of Vneshtorgbank. On April 30, 2004 he married Zara Mgoyan (b. 1983), a Russian pop singer of Kurdish origin, but they divorced a year later.
[edit] References
- ^ The St. Petersburg Times - Top Stories - Fair-Play Proposal Gets No Support
- ^ BBC NEWS | Europe | Putin ally leads Petersburg poll
- ^ BBC NEWS | Europe | Putin ally leads Petersburg poll
- ^ [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official Portal of the City Government: The Governor of St. Petersburg - Valentina Ivanovna Matvienko - in English
- Short biography in English
| Preceded by Viktor Cherkesov |
Presidential Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District March 11, 2003, – October 15, 2003 |
Succeeded by Ilya Klebanov |
| Preceded by Alexander Beglov |
Governor of Saint Petersburg 2003 – present |
Incumbent |
