Irina Khakamada

Economist; former Russian Presidential candidate

Irina Khakamada is an economist and former Russian Presidential candidate. During 1993-1999 she was elected for 3 consecutive times to the State Duma of the Russian Federation (Russian Parliament) and in June 2000 became a Deputy Speaker of the Duma. In 2004 she ran for President of the Russian Federation and received more than 4 million votes.

In 2006 Khakamada took the position of the Deputy Chair of the Russian People’s Democratic Union, a liberal opposition political party in Russia. In March 2008 she left the party and retired from politics. She currently writes books, appears in programmes on TV and radio and gives master-classes on how to become successful in modern Russia while preserving personal freedom. She also lectures at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the Academy of Finance, and City-Class Training Company.