Valentina Matviyenko

Valentina Matviyenko
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Name	Valentina Matviyenko
Native name	Валентина Матвиенко
Office	Chairwoman of the Federation Council
Term start	21 September 2011
Predecessor	Sergey Mironov
Office1	Governor of Saint Petersburg
Term start1	19 August 2003
Term end1	3 October 2011
Predecessor1	Alexander Beglov (acting)
Successor1	Georgy Poltavchenko
Birth date	7 April 1949
Birth place	Shepetivka, Khmelnytskyi Oblast
Party	United Russia
Alma mater	Penza State Pedagogical Institute, Institute of Social Studies

Valentina Matviyenko is a Russian politician who has held senior posts in the post-Soviet political system, serving as Governor of Saint Petersburg from 2003 to 2011 and as Chairwoman of the Federation Council of Russia since 2011. She has been a prominent figure within United Russia and the broader network of Russian political elites, interacting with institutions such as the Presidency of Russia, the State Duma, and regional administrations. Her career spans the late Soviet Union period through the administrations of Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin, and Dmitry Medvedev, involving relationships with figures including Anatoly Sobchak, Viktor Chernomyrdin, and Sergei Mironov.

Early life and education

Matviyenko was born in Shepetivka, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, then part of the Soviet Union. She studied at the Penza State Pedagogical Institute and later at institutions connected to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union nomenklatura training, including the Institute of Social Studies. Early professional placements included roles within the Komsomol and local party structures in Moscow Oblast and Leningrad Oblast, where she worked alongside cadres who later rose within CPSU circuits. Her formative years were shaped by interactions with Soviet institutions such as the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and regional Soviet administrations, and by exposure to policy networks that linked Moscow to provincial elites.

Political career

During the late Soviet Union period Matviyenko held posts in party organizations and youth wings like the Komsomol, which provided pathways into the emerging post-Soviet political class. In the 1990s she served in federal positions in Moscow, including appointments within the Presidential Administration of Russia under Boris Yeltsin and working relationships with prime ministers such as Viktor Chernomyrdin and officials from the State Duma. She became a prominent ally of Anatoly Sobchak and later engaged with the developing structures of United Russia, linking regional governance in Saint Petersburg with federal authorities in the Kremlin. Her federal roles connected her to international bodies and diplomatic interlocutors including delegations to the Council of Europe and contacts with leaders across the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Governor of Saint Petersburg (2003–2011)

Elected governor in 2003, Matviyenko led the Saint Petersburg administration through municipal reforms, infrastructure projects, and economic initiatives that involved partnerships with firms and institutions tied to Gazprom, Rosneft, and other major Russian corporations. Her tenure intersected with disputes over urban development, cultural heritage preservation involving institutions like the Hermitage Museum and the Mariinsky Theatre, and transportation projects connecting Pulkovo Airport and regional transit networks. She negotiated with federal agencies including the Ministry of Finance (Russia) and the Ministry of Regional Development (Russia), while managing relations with the State Duma delegation from Saint Petersburg and coordinating with colleagues such as Georgy Poltavchenko and regional leaders.

Her administration hosted international events that brought delegations from cities such as Paris, Berlin, London, and Beijing, and engaged in sister-city programs with municipalities like Osaka and Saint Louis, reflecting a blend of municipal diplomacy and domestic political consolidation. Controversies during her governorship included debates over land use, the role of private developers like Lukoil-affiliated enterprises, and interactions with cultural preservation groups and scholarly bodies such as the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Chairwoman of the Federation Council (2011–present)

In 2011 Matviyenko was appointed Chairwoman of the Federation Council of Russia, succeeding Sergey Mironov. In that capacity she presides over sessions of the upper chamber of the Federal Assembly of Russia, liaises with the Constitutional Court of Russia, and represents the legislature in interparliamentary forums including the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy and negotiations with counterparts from the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and national legislatures such as the United States Congress, the National People's Congress of China, and the Bundestag. Her chairmanship has coincided with major legislative periods under presidents Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, overseeing ratification of treaties, federal appointments, and responses to foreign policy developments involving entities like the United Nations and the European Union.

Political positions and controversies

Matviyenko's positions have aligned with the mainstream of United Russia policy, supporting measures on regional consolidation, federal appointments, and social policy that have drawn comment from opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny, Boris Nemtsov, and parties like Yabloko and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. Her tenure has been criticized by activists, journalists, and non-governmental organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International over issues tied to legislative changes, treatment of political protesters during events associated with the 2011–2013 Russian protests, and sanctions related to foreign policy actions involving Ukraine and the Crimea crisis. International responses have included restrictive measures from actors such as the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States Department of the Treasury, affecting interactions with institutions like the Council of the European Union and forums such as the G20.

Personal life and honors

Matviyenko is married and has a daughter; her family connections intersect with business and administrative networks active in Saint Petersburg and Moscow. She has received state awards including orders and medals from the Russian Federation, and honors from regional governments, cultural institutions such as the Russian Academy of Arts, and foreign states that have granted decorations in recognition of interparliamentary cooperation. Her public profile has been the subject of coverage by media outlets including RIA Novosti, Interfax, Kommersant, The Moscow Times, and international press such as The New York Times and The Guardian.

Category:Russian politicians Category:Members of the Federation Council (Russia)