Yury Luzhkov

Юрий Михайлович Лужков
Yury Luzhkov
2nd Mayor of Moscow
In office
June 6, 1992 – incumbent
Preceded by Gavriil Popov
Born September 21, 1936 (1936-09-21) (age 73)
Moscow, Russia
Nationality Russian
Political party CPSU (1968-1991)
Fatherland (1998-2001)
United Russia (since 2001)
Spouse Marina Bashilova (1958–1989) (died)
Yelena Baturina (1991–Present)
Children Mikhail Luzhkov, Alexander Luzhkov, Aleona Luzhkova (born 1992), Olga Luzhkova (born 1994)
Alma mater Gubkin Moscow Petrochemical & Gas Industry Institute
Religion Orthodox Christian

Yury Mikhaylovich Luzhkov (Russian: Ю́рий Миха́йлович Лужко́в) (born September 21, 1936 in Moscow, Russia, USSR) is a Russian political figure. He has served as mayor of Moscow since 1992. Luzhkov is a vice-chairman and one of founders of the ruling United Russia party.

Contents

Family and personal life

Yury Mikhaylovich Luzhkov was born on September 21, 1936 in Moscow, then the capital of the Soviet Union. His father, Mikhail Andreyevich Luzhkov, was a woodworker who moved to Moscow from a small village in Tver Oblast in the 1930s.

Luzhkov married his first wife, Marina Bashilova, in 1958, and had two sons with her, Mikhail and Alexander. Bashilova died from liver cancer in 1989. He met his second wife, Yelena Baturina, 27 years his junior, in 1987. They married in 1991. Baturina is a Russian businesswoman and Russia's only female dollar billionaire. She is the joint 279th richest person in the world.[1] They have two daughters, Aleona (born 1992) and Olga (born 1994), and maintain a home in London.[2] Luzhkov frequently appears in public at different festivals and celebrations, and is an enthusiastic promoter of the city. His hobbies include tennis and bee-keeping. His support for physical fitness is well known, and a statue of the mayor in tennis garb was erected recently in a Moscow park.

Professional career

From 1953 to 1958, Luzhkov studied at the Gubkin Moscow Petrochemical & Gas Industry Institute. From 1958 until 1964, he worked as a scientific researcher in the Moscow Scientific Research Institute of Plastics. He joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in 1968. For the next 20 years he worked on automation initiatives in various sectors of the chemical industry (1964-1971: management automation department chief, State Chemistry Committee; 1971-1974: automated management systems department chief, Chemical Industry Ministry of the Soviet Union; 1974-1980: CEO, Experimental Design Office of Automation, Chemical Industry Ministry of the Soviet Union; 1980-1986: CEO, Scientific-Industrial Association "Petrochemautomation".)

Mayoral career

He was first elected as a member of the Moscow city council (Mossovet) in 1977, and in 1987 transferred to the executive branch Moscow city (Mosgorispolkom). He held different positions, usually one level below the Mayor.

In 1991, Gavriil Popov was elected Mayor of Moscow in the first direct elections. However, inexperienced Popov was unsuccessful in solving the city's crisis and resigned in June 1992.

Luzhkov, who held the position of Chairman of the Moscow city government at the time (i.e. head executive branch of the City Council), was appointed Mayor by Boris Yeltsin on June 6, 1992. Luzhkov gained more popular support among Muscovites than Popov. His policies included providing free transportation to the elderly and a strong encouragement of business entrepreneurship. He was first elected as Mayor on June 16, 1996 (winning 95% of the vote), and re-elected on December 19, 1999 (69.9% of the votes) and again on December 7, 2003 (75% of the votes).

Construction and transport

Under Luzhkov, the city expanded its transport system. Third Ring was built to ease the traffic problem. Most of the city highways were enhanced with estacades and road junctions. Moscow metro expanded over the city limits.

Many of the old Soviet landmarks, such as Russia hotel or Voentorg, were reconstructed or deconstructed. Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was rebuilt, and Moscow Victory park opened to celebrate the 50th anniversary of victory in World War 2. Sculptor Zurab Tsereteli enjoyed Luzhkov's personal support in setting many of his works over the city. Moscow-Сity, the international trade center, is still under construction.

Apartment construction market developed rapidly, as many apartment buildings are raised every year. However, this sphere became controversial, as many critics claimed that Inteco, the company run by Elena Baturina, Luzhkov's second wife, became nearly monopolist in apartment construction.[3]

Many NGOs blame Luzhkov and his government for "the current destruction of much of the history of Moscow". During the years of his administration many historical buildings, such as the Voentorg, that were theoretically protected by law were torn down, and many neighbourhoods, like Zamoskvorechye, have been dramaticaly changed.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

Registration

In the Soviet Union every citizen was required to have permanent living place there to settle in certain urban areas, such as Moscow, as the government wanted to limit the inflow into the big cities. The post-Soviet Russian constitution granted every Russian citizen freedom of movement.

However, Moscow under Luzhkov invited several restrictions to this rule, partially keeping the old system. Each non-resident, who arrives in the city, must register with the local police department within 90 days of their arrival. The fine for noncompliance is 2500 rubles of penalty, and he or she would have trouble getting legal employment. Moscow police frequently ask for people's ID's to check if they have a registration ticket.

Luzhkov's rationale for registration has been that Moscow's city infrastructure could not handle a rapidly growing population. Some of the most blatant limitations were removed by the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court after a long fight with Luzhkov's lawyers, making the registration process somewhat simpler.

In Russia's politics

In 1998, as Boris Yeltsin's political troubles grew partly because of the August economic crisis, Luzhkov formed his own national political faction, Otechestvo (Fatherland), to serve as his base for the upcoming presidential election. Otechestvo had the support of many powerful regional politicians, and it gained further support when it merged with another party, Vsya Rossiya (All Russia) to form Otechestvo-Vsya Rossiya. Many observers of Russian politics believed that Luzhkov and his new ally, former prime minister Yevgeniy Primakov, would be likely to displace both Yeltsin and his inner circle in the parliamentary and presidential elections due to be held in late 1999 and mid-2000, respectively. [12] [13]

However, Luzhkov's fortunes turned when Boris Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin as Chairman of the Russian Government (predsedatel', or prime minister) in August 1999. While virtually an unknown when first appointed, observers of Russian politics argued that Putin rapidly gained popular support due to a hard-line law and order image and the backing of powerful state-owned and state-allied media and economic interests. The hard-fought autumn 1999 Duma campaign ended up with Otechestvo-Vsya Rossiya only at 3rd place. Compromising, Luzhkov and his party accepted integration with pro-Putin Unity party into single party United Russia, and supported Putin in the 2000 presidential elections, which he won easily. Though still a co-chairman of United Russia, in latest years Luzhkov became less active in federal politics.

Controversy

On May 12, 2008 Luzhkov was banned from entering Ukraine. The Security Service of Ukraine has forbidden him from entering the territory of Ukraine after this statement concerning the legal status of the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol:

“ In 1954 the city of Sevastopol was not included into the Oblast, the territory, which was transferred to Ukraine by Nikita Khrushchov. We state that this issue remained unresolved. ”

They are also investigating him for possible money laundering, and have stated that if evidence is found they will prosecute him.[14]

Personal views

Yuri Luzhkov is a devoted Orthodox Christian believer, often appearing at Christmas and Easter masses. [15] He is quite friendly to Patriarch Alexius II. In 2005 he was given an award from International Fund of unity of Orthodox Christians. [16]Luzhkov keeps conservative and traditionalist views.

He is critical of homosexuality and issued several bans on gay pride parades in Moscow, calling them "satanic".[17] Gay activists accuse him of homophobia.

Luzhkov is known as an enthusiastic advocate of Northern river reversal project, which he believes would solve the water problem of Central Asia and earn money to Russia.[18]

He is fond of soccer (he is a fan of FC Moscow and visits many of its matches. The club was even nicknamed "caps" by other fans, as reference to Luzhkov wearing a cap), and tennis.

References

  1. ↑ The World's Billionaires - Forbes.com
  2. ↑ Ukrainian businesswoman buys world's most expensive home in London for £80m | the Daily Mail
  3. ↑ [1]
  4. ↑ [2]
  5. ↑ [3]
  6. ↑ [4]
  7. ↑ [5]
  8. ↑ [6]
  9. ↑ [7]
  10. ↑ [8]
  11. ↑ [9]
  12. ↑ Salute Mayor Luzhkov: The man who will be Tzar in 2000 Dec. 20 1998
  13. ↑ Alexander Verkhovsky - RELIGIOUS FACTOR IN THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION CAMPAIGN OF 1999
  14. ↑ "Ukraine forbids Moscow Mayor to enter its territory", UNIAN News Agency (May 12, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-12. 
  15. ↑ "Church Stalin Razed Now Draws Officials" - the New York Times
  16. ↑ AWARDS CEREMONY OF INTERNATIONAL FUND OF UNITY OF ORTHODOX PEOPLES
  17. ↑ Gay rights activists attacked in Moscow protest
  18. ↑ "In a Turn to the Past, Moscow Proposes To Reverse Siberia’s Rivers" Give & Take, 2003, vol.6, issue 2

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Gavriil Popov		 Mayor of Moscow
1992 – present		 Incumbent
Persondata
NAME Luzhkov, Yury Mikhaylovich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ю́рий Миха́йлович Лужко́в (Russian)
SHORT DESCRIPTION Mayor of Moscow
DATE OF BIRTH September 21, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Moscow, Russia
DATE OF DEATH living
PLACE OF DEATH