Alexander Torshin

BORN: 27 November 1953 in Mitoga, Bolsheretsk district, Kamchatka region

EDUCATION: *Graduated in 1978 from the All-Union Law Correspondence Institute with a degree in law. *Completed postgraduate courses with the same institute from 1978-1981. *Graduated in 1990 from the Training Center for High School Teachers.

CAREER: *Mr Torshin worked as a secretary, office worker at Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) from 1971-1973. *Mr Torshin served in the Soviet Army from 1973 to 1975.  *From 1976-1979 he was a legal consultant, Republic Association for Building Fuel Enterprises, USSR Ministry of the Fuel Industry. *Upon graduation Mr Torshin worked as assistant at the Department of State and Law Theory, All-Union Law Correspondence Institute.  *In 1983 he moved to the Soviet Association of Political Science, where he served as an academic secretary.  *Mr Torshin was a first researcher, Social Sciences Section, USSR Academy of Sciences (as from 1991, Russian Academy of Sciences) from 1984 to 1986. *From 1987-1990, he was first teacher, then assistant professor of Department of Soviet State Building and Law, Academy of Social Sciences under the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (SPSU) Central Committee. *Mr Torshin was a first adviser, consultant, Department of Relations with Social Political Organizations, CPSU Central Committee from 1990 to 1991. *In 1991 he served as an expert in the Administration of the President of the USSR (Mikhail Gorbachev).  *Mr Torshin worked simultaneously as head, Department of Social and Political Cooperation, simultaneously, board member of the Service of State Advisers of the RSFSR for Cooperation with Social Associations (since 1992, State Advisors of the Russian Federation on Political Issues) from 1991 to 1992. *From 1992 to 1993, he was advisor to head of Administration of the Russian Federation President. *Mr Torshin served as deputy head, then head, department of co-operation with legislative bodies and public organizations, Administration of the Government of the Russian Federation from 1993 to 1995. *From 1995 to May 1998, Mr Torshin was secretary, state secretary of (ranked as first vice-chairman) the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. *In May 1998 he was appointed first deputy head, Administration of the Russian Federation Government.  *In July of the same year, Mr Torshin was appointed to the post of Authorized Representative of the Government at the State Duma. *From September 1998 – February 1999, he served as Deputy Head of the Cabinet Apparatus. *From March 1999 – Mr Torshin has been the Deputy General Director of The Agency for Restructuring of Crediting Organizations (ARCO). *On January 31, 2001, he took his post as member of the Federation Council, representative of the Marii-El Republic Government in the Federation Council. *In January 2002 Mr Torshin was elected Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council. *In March 17th, 2004 he was elected Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Union of Russia and Byelorussia Union. *Alexander Torshin temporarily replaced Sergei Mironov as Acting Chairman of the Federation Council, after Mironov resigned in April 2011. He was replaced by Valentina Matvienko, the former Mayor of St Petersburg.

MISCELLANEOUS: *Married to Nina Valeryevna. *They have two children.  *Chairman of the Expert Council for Legislative Support of Safe Development of Nuclear Energy.  *Chairman of the so-called “Torshin Commission” (or the Russian Parliamentary Commission Investigating the Circumstances Surrounding the Beslan Tragedy).

(most information retrieved from Silobreaker)