Nikolai Fedorov, President of Chuvashia in 1993-2010, has become one of the most “long-living” heads of regions in modern Russian history. He managed to find a common language both with his voters and with the central government, thanks to which he remained at his post for almost twenty years. During his tenure in power in Chuvashia, the current deputy chairman of the Federation Council managed to achieve certain successes, in particular, all regions of the republic were completely gasified with him, and the pace of housing construction increased.
Professor
Nikolai Fedorov was born in 1958 in the village of Chedino, in the Chuvash Republic. He grew up in a large family and from childhood was used to making his own way in life on his own, not hoping for others. The native village of the future president of Chuvashia was razed to the ground in order to build a giant chemical industry in the suburbs of Cheboksary, which left a depressing impression in the memory of Nikolai.
The only way to break out for him was a successful study, and Fedorov tried his best to achieve a gold medal at the end of school. To continue his education, a native of Cedino chose Tatarstan, where he entered the faculty of law of Kazan State University. Having successfully defended his diploma in 1980, Nikolai Fedorov achieved distribution to his homeland and returned to Cheboksary.
Here, the future liberal taught two disciplines such as Soviet Law and Scientific Communism for two years. After taking a break from graduate school, he returned to Chuvash State University and continued teaching.
Political career
In 1989, Nikolai Fedorov swung at lawmaking and was successfully elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Here he worked on his profile, being one of the heads of the committee on legislation.
A well-educated and legally competent provincial soon became one of the most prominent people in parliament. It is logical that it was his candidacy that became the main one for the post of Minister of Justice of the RSFSR. In 1991, the future president of Chuvashia received the coveted ministerial post, managing to remain in his post in four different cabinet ministers until 1993.
In 1991, Nikolai Fedorov was noted by an act that does not in a particularly favorable light paint the moral image of the then leaders. At the request of the FRG authorities, he made a demand to the ex-head of the GDR, Eric Honecker, who was then hiding in the Chilean embassy in Moscow, to leave the territory of the Russian Federation. It is not too noble to give their former allies into the hands of enemies, especially since Honneker was already 79 years old and was seriously ill with cancer. The law is the law, and former comrade Leonid Brezhnev left not too hospitable Moscow.
Fronder
In 1993, Nikolai Fedorov noted a number of accurate forecasts, in which he warned society against impending corruption and fairly accurately predicted the scenario of a political crisis in the country. In March 1993, he resigned in protest against the introduction of Boris Yeltsin’s special order of government, calling this step unconstitutional, and was critical of the dispersal of the Supreme Council in October of that year.
Thus, he earned himself the image of an independent, independent politician who is not afraid to go into opposition to power.
Head of Chuvashia
Having gained political weight, Nikolai Fedorov decided to continue his career that had begun so successfully. He secured himself and declared his candidacy for participation in elections of both federal and regional significance. According to the list of the Democratic Party, a native of Cedino ran for the post of deputy of the State Duma, in addition, he nominated himself as a candidate for the post of head of the Chuvash Republic.
Everything went well for him. He was elected to the Duma and immediately joined the Defense Committee. Becoming president of Chuvashia was much more difficult. In the first round, he scored 24.9% of the vote, and his main opponent, Chuvash University Rector Lev Kurakov - 21%. Everything was decided in the second round, where Nikolai Fedorov won in a tough fight.
Having assumed the post of head of the republic, the former Minister of Justice focused on regional affairs and refused the mandate of the State Duma deputy.
Victories and defeats
Local old-timers rather positively assess the activities of Fedorov as president of Chuvashia. All villages of the republic were completely covered by gas pipes, coal stoves and stokers were gone. Under him, the pace of housing construction increased by an order of magnitude, the level of urbanization of the backward agrarian republic reached its maximum level.
Nikolai Fedorov especially focused on the capital of Chuvashia - Cheboksary. The historical center was reconstructed, the landscape underwent transformations, and a new harbor was built on the Volga.
Fedorov was safely elected to the presidency three times, and in 2005 he was appointed head of the region by presidential decree. In 2010, he resigned, moving to the federal level.
From 2012 to 2015, Nikolai Vasilievich served as Minister of Agriculture. At this time, he had a conflict with the new president of Chuvashia - Ignatiev. In response to criticism of the situation in the republic by the federal minister, the head of the region reasonably noted that the well-being of his small homeland depends on him, as income from agriculture in Chuvashia reaches 40%.
Nikolai Fedorov was deprived of the ministerial chair in 2015, after which he left for legislative work. Today, the former president of Chuvashia is the deputy chairman of the Federation Council.