Former Moldovan president turns 80

Chisinau, 17 January /MOLDPRES/ - The first president of Moldova, Mircea Snegur, turned 80 today.  
Mircea Snegur is one of the leaders of the national liberation and revival movement. He was the principal supporter of the draft law which saw giving the Romanian language the status of official language of the state and the return to the tricolor flag, which attracted the Moldovans’ likings. Mircea Snegur backed the proclamation of the sovereignty, getting of the independence of Moldova and contributed to the recognition of the young state in the West. During students’ strikes from the spring of 1995, Snegur was the one who stated that the correct name of the language is Romanian.    
Mircea Snegur was born in the Trifanesti village, northern Soroca county, on 17 January 1940. In 1956, he finished the secondary school from the Frumisica village, Floresti district, and in 1961 – the Agrarian Institute from Chisinau. He made his postgraduate education at the plant growing department of the same institute in 1972. Snegur has the specialty of agronomist scientist and the 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 offices of director of the Experimental Station for Field Crops  (1968-1973), head of the agricultural science principal directorate at the Agriculture Ministry (1973-1978), director general of the Selectia (Selection) Production Scientific Association and director of the Scientific Research Institute in the Field Crops sector from the Balti city (1978-1981).    
In 1981-1985, Snegur acted as first secretary of the Edinet District Committee of the Moldovan Communist Party (PCM) and beginning from 1985 till 1989, he held the position of secretary of the PCM Central Committee. Starting feom 1989 till 1990, he worked as President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (parliament) of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic (RSSM) and President of the RSSM Supreme Soviet. As of 3 September 1990 till 1 December 1996, Mircea Snegur held the office of President of Moldova. On 26 March 1989, he was elected MP in the Supreme Soviet of the USSR; he was lawmaker in the Supreme Soviet of the 11th and 12th legislative period, Moldovan MP in the 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 Academy of Sciences of Moldova.