Sherig-ool Dizizhikovich Oorzhak ( tyv, Шериг-оол Дизижик оглу Ооржак, ; born July 24, 1942), is a Russian retired politician. He was the leader of

Tuva Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ...

for 21 years, from 1986 to 2007. Oorzhak graduated from the Timiryazev Moscow Agricultural academy in 1971. From 1971 until 1980, he worked as an economist at and later the director of a government-owned farm (

sovkhoz A sovkhoz ( rus, совхо́з, p=sɐfˈxos, a=ru-sovkhoz.ogg, abbreviated from ''советское хозяйство'', "sovetskoye khozyaystvo (sovkhoz)"; ) was a form of state-owned farm in the Soviet Union. It is usually contrasted wit ...

) in his hometown of . In 1983 he became an activist in the Tuvan branch of the Communist Party. He graduated from Novosibirsk High Communist Party School in 1985. From December 1986 he was First Secretary in the Tuvan branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, making him Tuva's de facto leader. He was a three-time deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. From 1990 to 1992 he was Chairman of the Council of Ministers (i.e. Prime Minister) of

Tuva ASSR The Tuvan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (russian: Тувинская Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика; tyv, Тыва Автономнуг Совет Социалистиг Р� ...

. In 1990 he was elected people's deputy of

RSFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

. In August 1991 he was defeated by

Kaadyr-ool Bicheldei Kaadyr-ool Alexeyevich Bicheldey (russian: Каадыр-оол Алексеевич Бичелдей, tyv, Каадыр-оол Алексей оглу Бичелдей; born January 2, 1950) is a Russian philologist and politician of Tuvan ...

in the race for Chairman of the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet (russian: Верховный Совет, Verkhovny Sovet, Supreme Council) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USS ...

. On March 15, 1992 he was elected to be President of the

Republic of Tuva Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ...

. In 1993 he was the head of the Constitutional Commission of

(the Constitution was adopted on October 21, 1993). In 1997 he was re-elected as President. According to the Tuvan constitution, Tuva was "an independent state in association with Russia" and could "declare war and sign international agreements of its own will". During the revision of Russian regional constitutions in 2000, these phrases were removed from the document. The political career of Oorzhak became uncertain after this, leading him to demonstrate his allegiance to the Kremlin by appointing Sergei Pugachev and Lyudmila Narusova to the Federation Council as representatives of Tuva. In 2001, the newly adopted Tuvan constitution eliminated the position of President, replacing it with the title Head of Republic, enabling Oorzhak to avoid the two-term limit enforced on the president. On March 17, 2002, with 53% of the vote, he was elected as Head of the Republic and changed his title from President to Head of Republic. He resigned from his position on April 6, 2007 and Sholban Kara-ool was appointed in his place.

Honours and awards

Order of Merit for the Fatherland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

, 3rd class (9 April 2007) - "for services to the state and many years of honest work" * Order of Honour (2002) *

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...

(1997)

External links

Interview with Oorzhak
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oorzhak, Sherig-Ool 1942 births Living people People from Tuva Tuvan people Heads of the Republic of Tuva Members of the Federation Council of Russia (1994–1996) Members of the Federation Council of Russia (1996–2000) Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)