Governor of Mari El Leonid Markelov: biography, activities

Not every person who started political activity can achieve certain heights in this field. All the more important are the achievements of those politicians who managed to achieve some success. Leonid Markelov, Governor of Mari El, belongs to such people. Let's follow his political career and find out other pages from the biography of this statesman.

Childhood and youth

Leonid Markelov was born in Moscow on June 25, 1963. His parents were Russian employees by nationality. Father, Igor Markelov, rose to the post of the head of the agricultural ministry, and his mother, Khazova Galina, was an economist. True, when little Leone was nine years old, they divorced, and the boy began to live with his mother.

After leaving school in 1981, where Leonid showed quite good results in training, he entered the Military Red Banner Institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense for a lawyer who successfully graduated in 1986. After that, he was sent to the Republic of Mari El to serve in the military prosecutor's office. He managed to pass through the staircase from the investigator to the assistant military prosecutor of the military unit. In 1992, at the age of 29, Leonid Igorevich resigned from the ranks of the armed forces, having started his legal practice there in the Mari Republic.

The beginning of political career

The political career of a lawyer known at that time began in 1995, when Leonid Markelov was elected to the State Duma by the lists of the Liberal Democratic Party, which at that time was. His activity and outstanding abilities contributed to the fact that he soon became deputy chairman of the parliament in the field of education and science. In 1997, he replaced this post for participation in the Committee on Budget and Taxation, in which he took an active part until 1999, when the term of office of the Duma deputy expired.

At the same time, on the party line, Markelov was appointed head of the republican department of the LDPR in Mari El. His first actions could testify that Leonid Markelov is a politician of the first magnitude.

The first pancake is lumpy

But the ambitions of the newly elected MP stretched much further. The governor's post in the Mari Republic is the next goal that Leonid Markelov was trying to achieve. Mari El was one of the subjects of the federation, having a republican status. This region was in the European part of the country in comparative proximity to the capital. In addition, Leonid Markelov settled in this republic since his service in the military prosecutor's office.

So, a year after he was elected to the parliament he decided to try his luck at the elections of the head of the Republic of Mari El. But Leonid Igorevich did not rely on one luck, that's why he approached the election campaign quite seriously.

However, this campaign Leonid Markelov lost, gaining only 29.2% of the vote and losing to the more successful Vyacheslav Kislitsyn.

The new elections to the Duma at the end of 1999 turned out to be a failure, and this time Markelov decided to take part not in the lists of the party, but in the single-mandate constituency of the Republic of Mari El. On them, he scored slightly more than 25% of the vote. Thus, Leonid Igorevich did not get into the State Duma of the third convocation.

Of course, such an active person could not remain completely unemployed, so he was appointed director of the company with state participation of Rosgosstrakh. True, this post was temporary and technical, since there was no information about the actions of Leonid Igorevich on it. Most likely, it was just a kind of respite before a new stage in the political struggle.

Presidency

In 2001 Markelov's aspirations, finally, were crowned with a logical success. He won the presidential election, gaining almost 60% of the vote, from his old rival, Vyacheslav Kislitsyn. They say that the actual support of the Russian president played an important role in this victory. Thus, from this time until today, Leonid Markelov is the head of the Republic of Mari El.

In 2004, the next presidential elections started in the republic. This time the administrative resource was used by Markelov to the fullest. He had the support not only of the president of Russia and the government, since he was nominated from the party "United Russia", but he also possessed all the set of levers of power in Mari El as the head of the republic. Election propaganda was launched, and a lot of stories about Markelov are shown on television. But from entering into a debate with competitors in the struggle for power Leonid Igorevich refused.

All the above-mentioned factors have paid off, and Leonid Markelov was re-elected for a second term. Mari El again got him to the presidency.

Meanwhile, the legislation of the Russian Federation regarding the election of the heads of the subjects of the federation has undergone significant changes, since now they were not elected by the population in elections, but were appointed by the local parliament on the proposal of the president of the country. For Markelov, this option suited even more, since he was in the government party "United Russia", which had a traditionally high rating.

And it turned out that in 2009 Leonid Markelov, a statesman with extensive experience and high level of support to the central government, was appointed president of Mari El.

In 2015, the format was restored, according to which the heads of subjects of the federation elected the population. Markelov again celebrated the victory, in the first round, gaining just over 50% of the vote, which automatically guaranteed him election without holding a second round of elections.

Achievements

During his presidency Leonid Markelov did a lot for his region. When it was repaired roads, hospitals and schools were built. One of its main achievements is the preservation of economic and social stability in the region for many years.

Charges

At the same time, Leonid Igorevich was repeatedly criticized and accusations of opponents on various issues. Most often he was corrupted, bribed voters, violated human rights, oppressed national movements. Did Leonid Markelov really admit such things? The biography of this statesman has moments that indicate some violations.

So, even at the first presidential election, lost Markelov in 1996, the firm statements of his team regarding voters were noted. Quite scandalous was the company for the elections to the republican parliament in 2009, which indirectly depended on the appointment of the president. In 2015, Markelov told voters of one of the villages of the republic that he would close the local FAP and unearth the road. This statement was filmed on camera. However, later Leonid Igorevich said that he made this statement a joke.

Repeatedly, Leonid Markelov was also accused of oppressing the national Mari movements and organizations. In particular, in 2005 the European Parliament even passed a resolution on human rights violations in Mari El.

As you can see, there really are facts that Leonid Markelov is hardly proud of. His resignation from the presidential post was repeatedly discussed by the opposition forces, but so far it has been inconclusive.

A family

Leonid Igorevich married when he was a deputy of the State Duma on Irina, who was fourteen years younger than him. Despite this, they formed a fairly strong and loving family, in which in 2000, the son of Igor was born, and in 2003 - the daughter of Polina.

Irina Markelova has a big business: a factory, an agricultural company, a media company.

general characteristics

Thus, we see that Leonid Igorevich Markelov is a rather ambiguous figure of the political horizon. Noting the many useful things he has done for the development of the republic, it is impossible not to mention the charges brought against him by political opponents.

Here is such a difficult person Leonid Markelov (photo below).

But let us hope that all the ambiguous moments connected with Leonid Igorevich's career will be left behind, and only positive achievements will be ahead.