Valentina Matviyenko - Timeline of Political Career

Timeline of Political Career

• In 1985 Valentina Matviyenko graduated from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Academy and became a party official in Leningrad's municipal government. In 1984–1986 she was the First Secretary of the Krasnogvardeysky District Committee of the Party.
• Matviyenko was elected as a people's deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union and headed the committee on women, family and children affairs.
• Between 1991 and 1998 Matviyenko served in the diplomatic service and held several diplomatic positions including posts of Russian ambassador to Malta (1991–1995) and Greece (1997–1998).
• On 24 September 1998, Matviyenko was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Welfare, and occupied this position until 2003.
• In June 1999 she worked on the Board of Directors of the ORT TV channel.
• Matvyenko was involved in a life-threatening car accident on 20 November 1999.
• On 3 February 2000 she was nominated for the presidency, but refused to contest. On 29 February 2000, she announced that she was considering running in the St. Petersburg governor elections to be held on 14 May, and on 10 March announced that she was indeed launching her campaign. However, on 4 April she claimed that Vladimir Putin had asked her to withdraw from the elections, and she did so on 5 April.
• On 11 March 2003 she left the Deputy PM position and was appointed presidential envoy to the Northwestern Federal District by Vladimir Putin.