Vladimir Plotnikov
Russia- Birth and Early Life (1961)
- Education and Agricultural Career
- Political Career (1993-2007)
- Agrarian Party Leadership (2004-2007)
- Parliamentary Elections (2007)
- Post-Parliamentary Career (2007-Present)
Birth and Early Life (1961)
Vladimir Plokotnikov was born on November 30, 1961, in the village of Gusevka, Olkhovsky District, Volgograd Oblast.
Education and Agricultural Career
Plokotnikov graduated from the Volgograd Agricultural Institute in 1984 with honors. He returned to his hometown and worked as an agronomist, seed grower, and later as chief agronomist of the Gusevsky collective farm until 1993. During this time, he was also pursuing an economics degree and postgraduate studies at the Volgograd Agricultural Institute, where he defended his dissertation in 1995.
Political Career (1993-2007)
In December 1993, Plokotnikov was first elected to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. He served three more terms in 1995, 1999, and 2003, always representing the Mikhaylovsky electoral district of Volgograd Oblast. In the Duma, Plokotnikov served in the Agrarian and Agro-Industrial Deputy Group and the Committee on Agrarian Policy.
In 2004, Plokotnikov joined the "United Russia" faction in the Duma and became Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Agrarian Issues.
Agrarian Party Leadership (2004-2007)
In April 2004, Plokotnikov was elected Chairman of the Agrarian Party of Russia (APR). Analysts suggested that his victory did not signal a political shift for the party, which typically maintained neutrality and advocated for the interests of the agro-industrial sector.
In December 2005, Plokotnikov was unanimously elected President of the Association of Peasant (Farmer) Farms and Agricultural Cooperatives of Russia (AKKOR).
Parliamentary Elections (2007)
In April 2007, the APR announced its intention to run independently in the December State Duma elections. Plokotnikov left the "United Russia" faction, stating that the party saw "its own solutions to the many problems facing Russian villages."
The APR performed poorly in the elections, receiving only 2.3% of the vote and failing to enter the fifth State Duma.
Post-Parliamentary Career (2007-Present)
In December 2007, Plokotnikov joined other party leaders in endorsing First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev for President of Russia.
Plokotnikov is a Candidate of Agricultural Sciences and Honored Agronomist of Russia. He is married and has a son and daughter.
