Andrei Safonov (; born 6 June 1964) is a

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Transnistria Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...

. He lives in Bender, Transnistria's second largest city.

Biography

Safonov ran for president against

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...

president Igor Smirnov in the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

held on December 10, 2006, and came third with 3.9% of the vote.Transdnestr Central Election Commission announces final results on presidential election
He is a former teacher of literature and a former member of the parliament of the MSSR (Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic), within the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. After Transnistria's declaration of independence, September 2, 1990, he founded the official news agency ''Olvia Press''. He was subsequently appointed Minister of Education, Science and Culture, a post he held until 1999 when he formed an opposition movement to Igor Smirnov and an opposition newspaper, founded in 2000, called ''Novaia Gazeta''.

References

External links

Novaia Gazeta
(in Russian)
Tiraspol Times: "Outspoken Smirnov-critic Safonov launches presidential bid"
(in English) 1964 births Living people Moldovan journalists Male journalists Transnistrian politicians Moldovan MPs 1990–1994 {{Moldova-politician-stub