| Mircea Snegur | |
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| In office September 3, 1990 – January 15, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Petru Lucinschi |
| Born | January 17 1940 Trifăneşti, Soroca County |
| Political party | independent |
Mircea Ion Snegur (b. January 17, 1940 - Trifăneşti, Soroca County ) was the first President of Moldova. In the Soviet era, he was often known in English as Mircha Ivanovich Snegur, a transliteration from the Russian Мирча Иванович Снегур. A former Communist Party official, Snegur endorsed independence for Moldova and actively sought Western recognition. Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991. However, Snegur's opposition to immediate reunification with Romania led to a split with the Moldovan Popular Front in October 1991 and to his decision to run as an independent candidate in a December 1991 presidential election. Running unopposed, he won after the Popular Front's efforts to organize a voter boycott failed. In the presidential elections of 1996, Parliamentary speaker Petru Lucinschi surprised the nation with an upset victory over Snegur in a second round of balloting.
Education
Chişinău Institute of Agriculture
Career
Member of the Communist Party 1964–1990
- 1967–1971 - worked as agronomist, manager of state and collective farms
- 1971–1978 - with the Ministry of Agriculture
- 1978–1981 - Director General of the Selektsiya Research Production Association, Kishinev
- 1981–1985 - Secretary of the Communist Party committee of Yedinetskiy district
- 1985–1989 - Secretary in the Central Committee of the CP of Moldavia
- 1989–1990 - Chairman of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of Moldavia
- 1990 (April-September) - Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Moldavia
- 1990–1996 - President of independent Moldova
| Preceded by formation of republic | President of the Republic of Moldova 1990–1997 | Succeeded by Petru Lucinschi |
Leaders of Moldova since 1940 |
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