Valentina Matviyenko

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Image:Matviyenko.jpg Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko (Russian: Валенти́на Ива́новна Матвие́нко, b. April 7, 1949) is a Russian politician who is as of 2006 the mayor of Saint Petersburg.

Valentina Matviyenko was born in Shepetivka Khmelnytskyi Oblast of Western Ukraine. In 1972 she graduated from Leningrad Institute of Chemistry and Pharmaceutics and until 1984 held various leadership positions within the Komsomol organization. In 1985 she graduated from Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Academy and became a party official in Leningrad's municipal government. In 1989 Valentina Matviyenko was elected as a people's deputy to the Supreme Soviet and headed committee of women, family and children affairs. Between 1991 and 1998 Valentina Matviyenko entered diplomatic service and held several diplomatic positions including posts of Russian ambassador to Malta and Greece. Between 1998 and 2003 Matviyenko returned to the Federal government and was a Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation responsible for social policy. In March of 2003 she was appointed Vladimir Putin's special presidential representative in the Northwestern Federal District. In October of 2003 Valentina Matviyenko was elected the mayor of Saint Petersburg. Valentina Matviyenko is one of the most prominent and popular female politicians in Russia.