Mykola Azarov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mykola Azarov
|
|
|---|---|
| Микола Азаров Николай Азаров |
|
Azarov in 2012
|
|
| 14th Prime Minister of Ukraine | |
| In office 11 March 2010 – 28 January 2014 |
|
| President | Viktor Yanukovych |
| Deputy | Andriy Klyuyev (2010–12) Valeriy Khoroshkovskyi (2012) Serhiy Arbuzov (2012–14) |
| Preceded by | Oleksandr Turchynov (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Serhiy Arbuzov (acting) |
| In office 5 January 2005 – 24 January 2005 Acting |
|
| President | Leonid Kuchma |
| Preceded by | Viktor Yanukovych |
| Succeeded by | Yulia Tymoshenko |
| In office 7 December 2004 – 28 December 2004 Acting |
|
| President | Leonid Kuchma |
| Preceded by | Viktor Yanukovych |
| Succeeded by | Viktor Yanukovych |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine | |
| In office 4 August 2006 – 18 December 2007 |
|
| Prime Minister | Viktor Yanukovych |
| Preceded by | Stanislav Stashevsky |
| Succeeded by | Oleksandr Turchynov |
| In office 26 November 2002 – 3 February 2005 |
|
| Prime Minister | Viktor Yanukovych Yulia Tymoshenko |
| Preceded by | Oleh Dubyna |
| Succeeded by | Anatoliy Kinakh |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 4 August 2006 – 18 December 2007 |
|
| Prime Minister | Viktor Yanukovych |
| Preceded by | Viktor Pynzenyk |
| Succeeded by | Viktor Pynzenyk |
| In office 26 November 2002 – 3 February 2005 |
|
| Prime Minister | Viktor Yanukovych Yulia Tymoshenko |
| Preceded by | Ihor Yushko |
| Succeeded by | Viktor Pynzenyk |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Nikolai Yanovich Pakhlo
17 December 1947 Kaluga, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia) |
| Citizenship | Ukrainian |
| Political party | Party of Regions (2001–2014) |
| Other political affiliations |
Civil Congress of Ukraine (1992) Party of Labor (1992–2001) |
| Spouse | Lyudmyla Azarova |
| Children | Oleksiy |
| Alma mater | Moscow State University |
| Signature |  |
Mykola Azarov (born 17 December 1947) is a Ukrainian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Ukraine from March 2010 to January 2014. Before that, he was the First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister several times.
After Viktor Yanukovych won the 2010 presidential election, Azarov became the leader of the Party of Regions. He was then appointed prime minister. In January 2014, after many protests, Azarov resigned from his position. He later moved to Russia.
Since July 2014, Azarov has been wanted by international authorities for questions about his time in office. He is also subject to international sanctions from countries like the U.S. and European Union. In 2015, he started a group called the Ukraine Salvation Committee. This group was seen by many as supporting Russia.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mykola Azarov was born in Kaluga, in what was then the Soviet Union, on 17 December 1947. His birth name was Nikolai Pakhlo. He later took his wife Lyudmyla Azarova's last name when they married.
He studied at Moscow State University and earned a doctorate in geology and mineralogy in 1973. After his studies, he worked at a coal company until 1976. In 1984, Azarov moved to Donetsk, Ukraine. There, he became the deputy director and later the director of Ukraine's State Research and Design Institute of Mining Geology and Geomechanics. He also became a professor at Donetsk National Technical University in 1991.
Political Career
Mykola Azarov has had a long career in Ukrainian politics.
Early Parliamentary Role
In 1994, Azarov was first elected to the Verkhovna Rada, which is the Ukrainian parliament. He represented an area in the city of Donetsk. From 1995 to 1997, he led the parliament's Committee on Budgets. He also supported the then-President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma. In 1996, he became the head of the State Tax Administration of Ukraine.
Leading the State Tax Administration
Azarov was in charge of the State Tax Administration for a long time, from 1996 to 2002. During this period, some critics said that tax inspections were used to put pressure on the media. There were also recordings, secretly made in President Kuchma's office, where Azarov was heard discussing using his position to help Kuchma's re-election in 1999. Azarov has always denied these claims.
First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister
In 2001, Azarov became the head of the Party of Regions, but he stepped down less than a year later. In 2003, he was elected chairman of the party's political council. In 2002, he was considered for the prime minister's job but decided to step aside for Viktor Yanukovych.
Azarov was then appointed First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister in November 2002. This was when the first government led by Viktor Yanukovych began. During this time, the government made several economic changes, including reforms in taxes and pensions. Ukraine's economy grew significantly during Azarov's first term as Finance Minister.
Azarov served as acting prime minister twice in late 2004 and early 2005. This happened when Viktor Yanukovych was involved in the Orange Revolution and later resigned. Azarov remained a strong supporter of Yanukovych. He became a member of parliament again in 2006. When Yanukovych became prime minister again in August 2006, Azarov was once more appointed First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
Becoming Prime Minister
.jpg)
After Viktor Yanukovych was elected President of Ukraine in 2010, he suggested Azarov as one of the candidates for prime minister. Azarov had led Yanukovych's election campaign. The Ukrainian parliament officially appointed Azarov as Prime Minister on 11 March 2010. Most lawmakers voted in favor of his appointment. The next month, he was elected head of the Party of Regions.
In the 2012 parliamentary election, Azarov was re-elected to parliament. He led the Party of Regions' list of candidates. He resigned as prime minister on 3 December 2012, because several cabinet members, including himself, had been elected to parliament. His cabinet continued to serve as a temporary government. On 9 December, President Yanukovych nominated him for another term as prime minister, and parliament approved this on 13 December 2012.
Resignation from Office
Azarov resigned as Prime Minister on 28 January 2014. This happened during a time of major protests and unrest in Ukraine, known as Euromaidan. He stated that he resigned to help find a peaceful solution to the conflict. After his resignation, Azarov left Ukraine and moved to Russia. In March 2014, he was removed from the Party of Regions.
After His Resignation
On 3 August 2015, Azarov announced the creation of the Ukraine Salvation Committee. This group was formed outside Ukraine, in Moscow. Its goal was to unite citizens and political groups to "restore order" in Ukraine and change its leadership. The committee's chosen leader for Ukraine was Volodymyr Oliynyk. Azarov said he could not name all members of the committee because some lived in Ukraine, and it would be dangerous for them.
Legal Status
Since July 2014, Mykola Azarov has been on an international wanted list. This means authorities want to question him about his actions while in power. In January 2015, a court in Kyiv issued an arrest warrant for him. This was to allow for his possible return from Russia for questioning. Azarov is also subject to international sanctions from several countries. These sanctions are due to his role during the Euromaidan events.
Family Life
Mykola Azarov has a son named Oleksiy Azarov. Oleksiy was also involved in politics. He was elected to the Ukrainian parliament in 2012 as a candidate for the Party of Regions. In April 2014, authorities in Austria began looking into Oleksiy Azarov. They were investigating suspicious money flows linked to him and other people close to the former government.
Public Image
Mykola Azarov is known for speaking Ukrainian poorly. Despite this, he said in 2010 that his government would speak Ukrainian. His attempts to speak the language in public sometimes led to humorous comments. In April 2011, he stated, "I feel one hundred percent Ukrainian."
In March 2010, a newspaper called The Guardian described him as a very pro-Russian member of the new government. An anonymous Ukrainian official also described him as "extremely boring and anti-populist." A survey in November 2010 showed that only a small percentage of people fully supported his government.
In December 2012, during a discussion about his nomination for prime minister, a member of parliament asked why Azarov had not mastered the Ukrainian language. Azarov replied that he agreed to improve his Ukrainian.
Views on Society
Soon after becoming prime minister in 2010, Azarov had his office blessed by a priest. In March 2010, he stated that there were no female ministers in his government because "Reforms do not fall into women's competence." He later explained that he did not wish for any woman, especially those with children, to work the very long hours required of a Ukrainian minister. Women's rights groups in Ukraine filed lawsuits against him in response.
In May 2010, Azarov said that corruption was one of Ukraine's biggest problems. He stated, "We must combat not just instances of corruption, but totally corrupt systems."
Images for kids
-
Mykola Azarov's signature
See also
In Spanish: Mikola Azárov para niños
