MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Russia will hold its presidential elections on Sunday, March 18. Eight candidates are running for the highest office in the Russian Federation. Among them is Pavel Grudinin, director of the Lenin State Farm (nominated by the Communist Party of Russia).

Pavel Grudinin was born on October 20, 1960 in Moscow.

In 1982, he graduated from the engineering and economic department of the Moscow Institute of Agricultural Engineers (currently, part of the Russian State Agrarian University - the Timiryazev Moscow Agricultural Academy) with a degree in mechanical engineering.

In 2001, he graduated by correspondence from the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of Russia (currently, the Russian Presidential Academy of the National Economy and Public Administration).

From 1982 to 1989, he worked as head of the mechanical workshops at the Lenin State Farm (the Lenin district of the Moscow Region).

In 1990-1995, he held the position of a deputy director for commerce at the Lenin State Farm.

Since 1995, he has been director of the Lenin State Farm closed joint stock company (elected at a general shareholders’ meeting). Pavel Grudinin holds 42.87% of the company’s stock.

In 1997-2011, he was deputy of the Moscow Region legislature.

In 2000, Pavel Grudinin was a proxy for presidential candidate Vladimir Putin. Until 2010, he was a member of the United Russia party.

Grudinin is a supporter of the Communist Party of Russia (although he is not a party member).

On December 23, 2017, the 17th congress of the Communist Party of Russia (KPRF) nominated Pavel Grudinin as a candidate for Russia’s president at the March 18, 2018 elections. KPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov has become the head of Grudinin’s presidential campaign headquarters.

The Russian Central Election Commission registered his candidacy on January 12, 2018.

Grudinin is a member of the Expert Council under the Russian Government since August 2012.

He is also member of the management board of the National Union of Milk Producers (since February 2015) and deputy chairman of the Russian Chamber of Industry and Commerce for agribusiness development (since 2011), a member of the Public Council under the Agriculture Ministry of Russia (since 2016).

In 2005, Pavel Grudinin became with winner of the All-Russian ‘Manager of the Year’ Contest in the ‘agribusiness’ category and in 2010 he won the ‘2010 Best Manager’ national award.

He is married with two sons and two daughters.