Yelena Mikhailova
Alena Mikhailova | |
|---|---|
Елена Михайлова | |
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| 13 [[Chairwoman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet]] | |
| Assumed office 2012 | |
| Deputy | Nikita Alexyutovich |
| Preceded by | Gennady Zyuganov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 28, 1947 Voroshilovgrad, Ukraine |
| Citizenship | Soviet |
| Nationality | Russian, Ukrainian |
| Political party | CPSU |
| Height | 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Residence | Kremlin Presidium |
| Alma mater | Donetsk State University |
Yelena Mikhailova (often translated as Alena) is a Soviet politician and economist of Russo-Ukrainian nationality who has served as the President of the Soviet Union since 2012. She previously served as the Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of Voroshilovgrad Oblast from 1995 to 2004 and
Alena was born in 1947 on the 28th of August in Luhansk, Ukraine. Her mother was an ethnic Ukrainian who worked as a nurse in the Soviet Navy, her father also fought in the war, serving in the Baltic Fleet from 1944 to 1947. The two met in Luhansk in the fall of 1944 and later had Alena in August of 1947.
Alena's family moved between Luhansk (later Voroshilovgrad) and Rostov-on-Don before settling back in Luhansk permanently in 1962. Her education saw her as an average student at her schools, and she was described by her teachers as "failing in areas of maths and physics though shone like a star in the realm of philosophy and government". She enrolled in Donetsk State University in 1971 after a brief tenure as a bus driver and graduated with a Master's degree in economics in 1977. After her graduation she served as a deputy to the Voroshilovgrad Oblast (renamed from Donetsk in 1970) from 1980, she was promoted Deputy Chairwoman in 1992 and became Chairwoman (or governor) of Voroshilov Oblast in 1995.
Alena's tenure as governor saw the promotion of tourism to the area and an increase in the funding of parks and educational facilities, though following her second re-election in 2000 her popularity suffered as a result of the mismanagement of the local water supply, she resigned as governor in 2004 before the 2005 elections and afterwards focused her career in the national politics of Ukraine, later being appointed as Chairwoman of the Supreme Soviet of Ukraine in 2007 and afterwards joining the national government as a deputy in the Council of Ministers in 2006, in 2012 she was promoted to Chairwoman at the age of 65.
Alena holds mediocre popularity with the citizens of the Soviet Union based on polling from 2017, 62% of respondents said her performance as chairwoman was acceptable, 22% said her performance was "good" or "great" while 16% said her performance was "bad" or worse. She oversaw a thaw in relations with the People's Republic of China which unofficially ended a split in relations which had persisted since 1967 and successfully joined China as an observer state to the Eurasian Cooperative Community in 2019.