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POZGALYOV, Vyacheslav Yevgenyevich
Former Governor of the Vologda region
03/07/2007
Vyacheslav Pozgalyov (Вячеслав Евгеньевич Позгалёв) was born November 15, 1946 in Pyongyang, Korea. A Russian politician, he served four terms as governor of the Vologda region, before resigning in December 2011.
Pozgalyov’s family returned to Russia in 1955, settling in Cherepovets.
While still in school Pozgalyov trained as an electrician at the local steel plant. In 1964 he started a degree at the Ulyanov Electrotechnical Institute in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). While in his third year of university, Pozgalyov married his wife Tatyana, then a student at the ship building institute.
In 1970 Pozhalyov graduated, and then returned to the steel plant, working as an engineer. Between 1973 and 1975, Pozhalyov served in the military, working for the Strategic Missile Troops.
After completing his military service, Pozhalyov returned to industry. From the late 1970s to 1990 he was the head of the steel mill and the deputy head engineer. In 1986 Pozhalyov entered local politics, when he was elected to a four year term on the local town council.
In 1990, Pozhalyov was appointed mayor of Cherepovets, and he served in this position until 1996. In the last year of his term in office, he was made president of the Union of Cities in Northwest Russia. From 1996 to 2001 Pozhalyov was a member of the Federation Council.
Pozhalyov moved to the Vologda regional administration in March 1996, when he was appointed acting head. In October of the same year he was elected governor of the Vologda region. He was reelected in 1999 an 2003. In March 2003 Pozhalyov joined the Higher Council of United Russia. Later the same year he joined a commission set up by then-President Vladimir Putin on local government and its relationship with federal authorities.
In June 2007 Pozhalyov was reappointed governor of the Vologda region, following the abolition of elections for regional heads. Later the same year he led United Russia’s party list in State Duma elections. The party won 60.47 percent of the vote in the region.
On December 4, 2011, there were elections in the Vologda region, to select deputies to the State Duma and the local administration. In the latter, United Russia did poorly, leading Pozhalyov to resign on December 12.
