Mircea Snegur

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Mircea Snegur ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; 17 January 1940 – 13 September 2023) was a Moldovan agronomist and politician who served as the first President of Moldova from 1990 to 1997. Prior to that, he served as the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR from 1989 to 1990 and chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 27 April to 3 September 1990.

Early life and education

Snegur was born on 17 January 1940 in Trifănești, then Kingdom of Romania.<ref name="radiofree">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1957, Snegur graduated from the high school in Frumușica, Florești District, and went on to study at the Agricultural State University of Moldova, from which he graduated in 1961, and where he completed a PhD in agricultural sciences at the university's Department of Animal Husbandry in 1972.<ref name="bio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="venii">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Professional career

As a trained agronomist, Snegur worked as the director of kolkhoz in the village of Lunga, Florești District, from 1961 to 1968.<ref name="moldpres">Template:Cite news</ref> From 1968 to 1973, he was the director of the Experimental Station of Field Crops.<ref name=moldpres /> From 1973 to 1978, Snegur was the director of the Main Agricultural Science Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture.<ref name=moldpres /> From 1978 to 1981, he worked as the general director of the Selectia Research Institute of Field Crops in Bălți.<ref name=moldpres /><ref name="bio" /><ref name="selectia">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early political career

Snegur was a member of the Communist Party of Moldova from 1964 until 1990.<ref name="noi">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1981, he became the secretary of the Communist Party committee of Edineț District, an office he held until 1985.<ref name=moldpres /> That year, he became Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, serving until 1989.<ref name=moldpres /> On 26 March 1989 Snegur was elected member of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union in the 11th and 12th convocations.<ref name=moldpres />

On 29 July 1989, Snegur was appointed Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of Moldavia, serving in this role until 27 April 1990.<ref name=moldpres /> During his term, he supported the bill to make Moldovan the official language and the return of the tricolor flag of Moldova.<ref name=noi /><ref name=radiofree /> On 27 April, he became the chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Moldavian SSR.<ref name=moldpres /> On 3 September, he became President of the Moldavian SSR.<ref name="bio" /><ref name=moldpres />

Presidency (1991–1997)

On 23 May 1991, Snegur became the president of the Republic of Moldova, still a constituent republic of the USSR.<ref name=radiofree /> on 27 August 1991, Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union and Snegur became the first president of Moldova as an independent state.<ref name=radiofree /> Snegur decided to run as an independent candidate in the December 1991 presidential election, running unopposed after the Popular Front's efforts to organize a voter boycott failed.<ref name="bio" />

File:Henry Kissinger with former USSR leaders - WEF Annual Meeting 1992.jpg

Snegur (center) in the 1992 World Economic Forum

On 3 September 1991, Snegur created the National Army of Moldova. In December 1991, Snegur signed the act that made Moldova a full member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and on 2 March 1992, Moldova became a member of the United Nations. In July, Snegur signed with Russian president Boris Yeltsin a treaty to mark the end of the Transnistrian War.<ref name=radiofree /> On 29 June 1994, a new Constitution of Moldova was adopted, and on 26 June 1995, Moldova was admitted as a member of the Council of Europe.<ref name=venii/>

Unification with Romania

In an address to the Parliament of Romania in February 1991, Snegur spoke of a common identity of Moldovans and Romanians, referring to the "Romanians of both sides of the Prut River".<ref>Problems, Progress and Prospects in a Post-Soviet Borderland: The Republic of Moldova. Trevor Waters. "In an address to the Romanian parliament in February 1991 (on the first official visit to Romania by any leader from Soviet Moldova since its annexation), the then President Snegur strongly affirmed the common Moldovan-Romanian identity, noting, 'We have the same history and speak the same language,' and referred to 'Romanians on both sides of the River Prut'. In June 1991 the Romanian parliament vehemently denounced the Soviet annexation of Bessarabia and Northern Bucovina, describing the territories as 'sacred Romanian lands'."</ref> Despite this Snegur proved to be opposed to immediate reunification with Romania, which led to a split with the Popular Front of Moldova in October 1991. He instead sported the idea of a political union that would keep the political sovereignty of each state whilst engaging in economic and military cooperation (known as the "one people, two States" plan).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Later years of presidency (1995–1997)

In 1995, Snegur founded the Party of Rebirth and Conciliation of Moldova with former members of the Agrarian Party of Moldova. Snegur ran as the Party of Rebirth and Conciliation's candidate in the 1996 presidential election, where he won a plurality, but not a majority, of votes in the first round. However, Parliamentary speaker Petru Lucinschi surprised the nation with an upset victory over Snegur in the second round. Snegur continued as President until 15 January 1997.<ref name="bio" />

He published his memoirs in the book "Labyrinth of Destiny: memoirs" in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Personal life and death

In 1960,<ref name="Eastern Europe 2000">Template:Cite book</ref> he married Georgeta Snegur (23 April 1937 – 23 December 2019)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and had a son and a daughter, Natalia Gherman, who was acting prime minister of Moldova in 2015.<ref name="bio" />

Snegur died on 13 September 2023, at the age of 83.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> President Maia Sandu declared mourning day for 16 September with a nationwide minute of silence at 12:00 PM.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The state funeral took place on 16 September, with an early memorial service in the Nativity Cathedral of Chișinău and the coffin was laid to rest at the Palace of the Republic, from where the funeral procession left, passing through Great National Assembly Square until arriving at the Central Cemetery, where he was buried.<ref name="moldpres2">Template:Cite news</ref>

Honours and awards

• Template:Flagicon Order of the Badge of Honour (1966)<ref name=moldpres2 />
• Template:Flagicon Medal "For Labour Valour" (1976)<ref name=moldpres2 />
• Diploma of the European Academy of Arts (1995)<ref name=moldpres2 />
• Diploma of Honour and Gold Medal of the European Order of Merit (1995)<ref name=moldpres2 />
• Doctor honoris causa from the State Agrarian University of Moldova (1996)<ref name=moldpres2 />
• Doctor honoris causa from the Ankara University (1996)<ref name=moldpres2 />
• Template:Flagicon Order of the Republic (2000)<ref name=moldpres2 />
• Doctor honoris causa from the Free International University of Moldova (2001)<ref name=moldpres2 />
• Template:Flagicon Order for Merits to Lithuania (2007) <ref>Декрет президента Литвы от 18 января 2007 года № 1K-868 Информация на официальном сайте президента Литвы Template:In langTemplate:Failed verification</ref>
• Doctor honoris causa from the Academy of Sciences of Moldova (2011)<ref name=moldpres2 />