Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko was re-elected to this post for the third time. Alternative candidates were not. The regulation requires the re-election of the head of the upper chamber of Parliament in case of elections of the head in his region. for this reason, After the recent victory of Alexander Beglov at the election of the head of St.-Petersburg Matvienko had to again go through the process of delegation to the Federation Council. Her candidature was endorsed by all the Vice speakers and Committee chairmen. Valentina Matvienko graduated from the Leningrad chemical-pharmaceutical Institute, the Academy of social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee, refresher courses for the senior diplomatic staff at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of foreign Affairs of the USSR. Engaged in Komsomol work at different levels since 1991, was in the Diplomatic service. In 1998-2003 Matviyenko was appointed Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, supervised social sphere. then there was the Plenipotentiary of the President, and in 2003 Became Governor of St. Petersburg. Delegated to the Federation Council in the summer of 2011, and in September held a post of the head. Became the first woman in the history of Russia to hold such a high position. Re-elected in 2014. <span style="color:darkgray