Viktor Zubkov

Infobox Officeholder
name = Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov
Ви́ктор Алексе́евич Зубко́в


imagesize =
order = Prime Minister of Russia
president = Vladimir Putin
deputy = Dmitry Medvedev
Sergei Ivanov
term_start = 14 September 2007
term_end = 7 May 2008
predecessor = Mikhail Fradkov
successor = Vladimir Putin
birth_date = birth date and age|1941|09|15|df=y
birth_place = Arbat, Kushva, Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union
party =

Viktor Alekseyevich Zubkov ( _ru. Ви́ктор Алексе́евич Зубко́в; born September 15 1941, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union) is a Russian politician and businessman, who was the Prime Minister of Russia from September 2007 to May 2008. He was a financial crime investigator until September 12, 2007, when he was nominated by President Vladimir Putin to replace Mikhail Fradkov, who resigned earlier that day. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6991053.stm "Putin names next prime minister"] , BBC News, September 12, 2007.] [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296505,00.html "Putin Dissolves Government, Nominates Viktor Zubkov as New Prime Minister"] , FOX News, September 12, 2007.] The nomination was approved in the Duma on September 14 2007. [ [http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11871756&PageNum=0 Duma approves Zubkov for prime minister’s post, ITAR-TASS.] ] On May 7 2008 Zubkov's cabinet was automatically dismissed. This procedure, following an inauguration of the President of Russia is required by the Russian Constitution. After Putin became Prime Minister, Zubkov was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister.

Zubkov is also the current chairman of the board of directors of Gazprom, Russia's largest corporation and one of the largest oil and natural gas companies in the world.

Biography

Zubkov graduated from the Economic Department of the Leningrad Agriculture Institute in 1965.

In 1966 he was drafted to the Soviet Army for a 18-month term. From 1967 to 1985 he worked on leading positions in kolkhozes of Leningrad Oblast. In 1985 to 1991 he occupied several leading positions in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in Leningrad Oblast, in 1989 to 1991 a First Deputy Chairman of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee of the Party.

In January 1992 to November 1993 he was a deputy Chairman of the External Relations Committee of the Saint Petersburg Mayor Office led by Vladimir Putin.

From November 3 1993, to November 301998, Zubkov was the Chief of the Saint Petersburg Department of the State Tax Inspection and simultaneously a Deputy Chairman of the State Tax Inspection for Saint Petersburg.

In December 1998, during the term of Yevgeny Primakov's Cabinet the State Tax Inspection was reorganized into the Tax Ministry of Russia and Zubkov's deputy head position was abolished, but he was immediately reappointed Chief of the Saint Petersburg Directorate of the Tax Ministry. On July 23 1999 Zubkov was appointed Deputy Tax Minister of Russia for the Northwestern region. In a few days he was also appointed Chief of the Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast Directorate of the Tax Ministry.

On August 12 1999 he was registered as a contender in the Leningrad Oblast governor election, assisted by Boris Gryzlov as his election campaign manager, but lost the election to Valery Serdyukov on September 191999, with 8.64 percent of the vote (4th place out of 16).

On November 5 2001 he left his positions in the Tax Ministry and was appointed First Deputy Finance Minister of Russia and Chairman of the Financial Monitoring Committee of the ministry, aimed to fight money laundering.

On March 16 2004 after the dismissal of Mikhail Kasyanov's Cabinet, the Financial Monitoring Committee was renamed to Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Finance Ministry, but Zubkov retained his position in Mikhail Fradkov's First Cabinet and Mikhail Fradkov's Second Cabinet.

In a 2006 survey of political experts, Zubkov was ranked as Russia's 84th most influential politician. [C. J. Chivers, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/world/europe/13russia.html "Putin Shuffles Government, Posing Mystery"] , "The New York Times", September 13, 2007.]

Zubkov's daughter is married to Anatoliy Serdyukov, the Russian Defense Minister. [ [http://www.lenta.ru/news/2007/09/12/zubkov/ Putin appoints Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov] , lenta.ru ru icon ]

Tenure as Prime Minister

Some Kremlinologists view Zubkov as one more technical Prime Minister, interpreting the move as a way to renew a competition between possible successors. [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070912.wzubkovpm0912/BNStory/International Putin sets cat among succession pigeons, globeandmail.com] ] Another theory suggests Putin has chosen a man of unquestioning loyalty to help him control powerful factions jostling for position inside the Kremlin. Another clue to his usefulness lies in Zubkov's experience under Putin as the man leading the fight against financial crime.Putin has said that there are five people who can run for president and can be elected, including Zubkov. [ [http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070914/78797642.html RIA Novosti - Russia - Putin says five candidates could run for president -1 ] ] On September 13 Zubkov himself said he may run for President of Russia next year. [ [http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/Russia_s_new_PM_could_stand_for_president.html?siteSect=143&sid=8213717&cKey=1189678958000&ty=ti Russia's new PM says could stand for president, sweissinfo.org] ] However, in December 2007 Putin officially gave his support to Dmitry Medvedev in the upcoming presidential elections, effectively dashing Zubkov's hopes for the presidency. After Medvedev took office, Zubkov succeeded him as chairman of Gazprom.

References

External links

* [http://www.anticompromat.ru/zubkov/zubkbio.html Biography] by Vladimir Pribylovsky
* [http://www.gazprom.com/eng/articles/article29605.shtml Biography of Viktor Zubkov] , Gazprom website

Persondata
NAME=Zubkov, Viktor Alexeyevich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Зубкóв Виктор Алексеевич (Russian}
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Economist, Acting Prime Minister of Russia
DATE OF BIRTH=September 151941
PLACE OF BIRTH=Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union
DATE OF DEATH=living
PLACE OF DEATH=