Born on May 9, 1958 in Chedino, Mariinsky Posad District, Republic of Chuvashia.

Education

1980: Graduated from the Law Department of Kazan State University.

1985: Graduated from the graduate studies department of the Soviet Academy of Sciences’ Institute of State and Law.

Professor, PhD (Jurisprudence), DSc (Economics).

Experinece

1980–1982, 1985–1989: Lecturer at the State University of Chuvashia.

1989: Elected People’s Deputy of the Soviet Union.

1990–1993: Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation.

1993–1994: Deputy of the First State Duma of the Federal Assembly.

1994: Elected President of the Republic of Chuvashia; re-elected in 1997, 2001 and 2005.

1995–2001: Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Constitutional Legislation and Courts of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly; Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee for International Affairs.

2010- May 2012: Member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly.

November 2011: Chairman of the Federation Council Committee for Constitutional Legislation, Courts and Civil Society.

May 21, 2012: Appointed Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation by Presidential Executive Order.