Rakhimov Murtaza Gubaidullovich entered Russian history as the first president of Bashkiria. He stood at the helm of the republic for 17 years, becoming one of the “longest-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 worked all their lives in agriculture. In the postwar years, my father presided over several collective farms.
After school, Rakhimov entered the Ufa Oil Technical School. After graduating from it, he began to work at a local oil refinery as a simple operator. In parallel, Murtaza received higher education at the Ufa Institute of Oil. He studied in the evening department.
Rakhimov devoted 34 years of his 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 became the head of the plant.
Career in politics
While working at the plant, Murtaza Rakhimov was repeatedly elected a people's deputy. Rakhimov got into "big" politics in 1990, when he took over the chairmanship of the Supreme Council of Bashkortostan.
In August 1991, Murtaza first stood on the side of the State Emergency Committee, since he had been a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for many years. However, after the putsch, when the defeat was already obvious, he decided to leave 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 unambiguous. 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 received 70% of the votes.
In the first years of his rule in Bashkiria, there really was a personality cult of Rakhimov. His name was given to children, full-length portraits of the president of the republic hung on the streets of Bashkir villages. However, after 2000, his rating dropped markedly. At that 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 Russian regions have been elected not by the people, but by the president of the country. In 2006, Rakhimov's candidacy for the post of President of Bashkiria was approved ahead of schedule by Vladimir Putin. Thus, Murtaza went to a fourth term.
In July 2010, Rakhimov decided to leave the presidency ahead of schedule. In the autumn of the same year, he became the head of the Ural charitable organization, which he himself created. Its cash fund consists of proceeds from the sale of Bashneft and a number of local refineries. Ural provides assistance to medical, sports and cultural institutions of the republic.
Personal life
Murtaza Rakhimov is married. On December 13, 1961, his wife Louise gave birth to his only son, who was named Ural. He currently resides in Austria. Previously, he was in charge of the fuel and energy complex of Bashkiria. His wife Louise once held a high position in the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Trade of the republic. The Rakhimovs have no grandchildren yet.
