Rakhimov Murtaza Gubaidullovich entered the history of Russia as the first president of Bashkiria. He stood at the helm of the republic for 17 years, becoming one of the "long-livers" among the heads of the regions of Russia. After leaving politics, he concentrated on charity work.
Biography: early years
Murtaza Gubaidullovich Rakhimov was born on February 7, 1934 in the village of Tavakanovo, in the Kugarchinsky district of Bashkortostan. His parents were ordinary people who had worked all their lives in agriculture. Father in the postwar years presided over several collective farms.
After school, Rakhimov entered the Ufa Petroleum College. After graduating from it, he began to work at a local oil refinery as a simple operator. At the same time, Murtaza graduated from the Ufa Institute of Petroleum. He studied in the evening department.
Rakhimov devoted 34 years of life to the oil refinery. Having started his career as an operator, he subsequently changed eight positions. So, he was the chief chemist and chief engineer. And in 1986, Murtaza led the plant.
Career in politics
Working at the plant, Murtaza Rakhimov was repeatedly elected as a deputy. Rakhimov fell into "big" politics in 1990, when he became chairman of the Supreme Council of Bashkortostan.
In August 1991, Murtaza first stood on the side of the Emergency Committee, as he had been a member of the CPSU for many years. However, after the coup, when the loss was already obvious, he decided to quit the party and support Boris Yeltsin.
Two years later, following the results of popular elections, he became president of Bashkiria. In 1998, Rakhimov went for a second term, and in 2003 for a third. If in the first two elections he won a landslide victory with almost 70% of the votes of the residents of Bashkortostan, then in 2003 his victory was not so clear. In the first round, Rakhimov was supported by a little more than 40% of voters. Then it became a sensation. But in the second round, Murtaza already received 70% of the vote.
In the first years of rule in Bashkiria there really was a cult of personality of Rakhimov. His name was given to children, on the streets of Bashkir villages hung portraits of the president of the republic in full growth. However, after 2000, his rating fell markedly. At this time, the republic had problems with infrastructure and salaries. At the same time, the well-being of his relatives grew exponentially.
Since 2005, the heads of the Russian regions began to choose not the people, but the president of the country. In 2006, Rakhimov’s candidacy for president of Bashkortostan was approved ahead of schedule by Vladimir Putin. Thus Murtaza went for a fourth term.
In July 2010, Rakhimov decided to prematurely leave the presidency. In the fall of that year, he headed the charity Ural, which he himself created. Its cash fund consists of proceeds from the sale of Bashneft and a number of local oil refineries. Ural provides assistance to medical, sports and cultural institutions of the republic.
