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GRYZLOV, Boris Vyacheslavovich
Former Speaker of the State Duma
09/27/2010
Boris Vyacheslavovich Gryzlov (Борис Вячеславович Грызлов) was born December 15, 1950 in Vladivostok. He is the head of the United Russia party and the former speaker of the State Duma and leader of its parliamentary faction.
At the age of four, Gryzlov left his birthtown of Vladivostok and moved to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). He graduated from the Leningrad Electro-Technicial Institute in 1973, specializing in radio engineering. During his studies, Gryzlov was an active member of the Komsomol, and worked for a local trade union following his graduation.
Gryzlov entered politics in the late 1990s. He ran unsuccessfuly for a seat in St. Petersburg local government in 1998, and the following year ran Viktor Zubkov's campaign to become governor of the Leningrad Region.
During the 1999 State Duma elections, Gryzlov ran the St. Petersburg campaign for the Unity party, (which was later to become United Russia). He also headed the party list in the region. It won 17 percent of the vote and Gryzlov won a seat in the Duma, leading the party's faction there. With Unity the second largest in parliament, he was a prominent member of the government throughout the 2000s.
In March 2001 Gryzlov was appointed interior minister. Two months later he received a PhD in political science. The following year Unity was rebranded into United Russia, with Gryzlov appointed head.
Following State Duma elections in December 2003, United Russia was the biggest party in the parliament and Gryzlov was elected speaker. Grzylov remained speaker following elections in 2007, but announced on December 14, 2011, that he will not serve another term. Gryzlov said he plans to continue running United Russia, but will leave the Duma entirely.
Related links:
Gryzlov's biography on the United Russia Web site
