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Revision as of 15:43, 20 May 2006
Igor Nikolayevich Smirnov (b. 23 October 1941) is the President of the internationally unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (also known as Transnistria).
Smirnov, a former metalworker from Kamchatka (Russian Far East), served on various local councils during the Soviet era.
Arriving in the Moldavian SSR in 1987, in the time leading up to the War of Transnistria he was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Transnistria and used this position to declare the PMR's independence on 2 September 1990. This entity was originally titled the Moldavian Transnistrian Soviet Socialist Republic. Igor Smirnov assumed the office of President of the Republic on 1 December 1991, about a month before the official collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Republic has held three presidential elections in its short existence, the results of which have not been recognized by any country, other than itself. These occurred in 1991, 1996 and 2001. Smirnov has been elected by a wide margin each time: On 23 December 1996, he took 72% of the vote against 20% for Vladimir Malakhov. On 9 December 2001, he took 81.9% of the vote against 6.7% for Tom Zenovich and 4.6% for Alexander Radchenko. Turnout was 64%.
The 2003 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Moldova, published by the United States Department of State, notes that "Citizens' right to change their government was severely restricted in Transnistria … Prior to the 2001 'presidential' elections, authorities shut down a political party and a youth group, closed a leftist party newspaper … refused to register a potential presidential candidate." Observers in a northern constituency reported that Smirnov collected 103.6 percent of the region's votes. The Vice President of the PMR is Sergey Fyodorovich Leontiev.
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| Preceded byformation of Soviet republic | Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Transnistrian Soviet Socialist Republic 1990-1991 |
Succeeded bydissolution of the Soviet Union |
| Preceded byformation of republic | President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic 1991-present |
Succeeded byincumbent |