Former Moldovan president marks birthday

Chisinau, 17 January /MOLDPRES/ - The first president of Moldova, Mircea Snegur, turned 81 today.  

Mircea Snegur is one of the leaders of the national liberal and revival movement. He was the main supporter of the draft law which provided for giving the Romanian language the status of the state’s official language and return to the tricolour flag, which attracted the Moldovans’ likings. Mircea Snegur backed the proclamation of the sovereignty, getting the independence of the Republic of Moldova and contributed to the recognition of the young state by the West. During students’ strikes in the spring of 1995, Snegur was the one who said that the correct name of our language is the Romanian language.    

Mircea Snegur was born in the Trifanesti village, northern Soroca county, on 17 January 1940. In 1956, he finished the secondary school from the Frumusica village, Floresti district, and in 1961 – he graduated from the Chisinau-based Agrarian Institute. Snegur finished his post-graduate courses at the plant growing department from the same institute in 1972. He has the specialty of agronomist-scientist and has the scientific title of PhD in agricultural sciences.    

In 1961-68, Mircea Snegur worked as agronomist and head of collective farm in the Lunga village, Floresti district; subsequently, he held the positions of director of the Experimental Station for Field Crops (1968-1973) and head of the agricultural science principal directorate at the Agriculture Ministry (1973-1978), director general of the Selectia (Selection) Scientific Production Association and director of the Scientific Research Institute in the Field Crops sector from the Balti city (1978-1981).   

During 1981-1985, he was the first secretary of the Edinet District Committee of the Moldovan Communist Party (PCM) and staring from 1985 till 1989, he held the office secretary of the PCM’s Central Committee. As of 1989 till 1990, he worked as President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic (RSSM). Beginning with 3 September 1990 till 1 December 1996, he held the office of Moldova’s President. On 26 March 1989, Snegur was elected MP in the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union; he was lawmaker of the Supreme Soviet of the 11th and 12th legislative periods, MP in Moldova’s parliament of the 14th legislative period.    

The merits of the First President were appreciated with more distinctions. In 2000, Mircea Snegur was awarded the Order of the Republic. He is Doctor Honoris Causa of the Chisinau-based Agrarian University, Free International University of Moldova, Ankara University and Moldova’s Academy of Sciences.  

photo: moldpres.md