Alexander Khizhnyak
Alexander Khizhnyak | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Republican Party of Labour and Justice | |
| Assumed office 3 September 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Stepanov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 March 1978 |
| Political party | Republican Party of Labour and Justice |
Alexander Nikolaevich Khizhnyak (Russian: Александр Николаевич Хижняк; born 16 March 1978) is a Belarusian politician serving as leader of the Republican Party of Labour and Justice since 2022.[1]
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Khiznyak was born on 16 March 1978 in Khoiniki to Nikolai and Irina, a worker on the local railroad, and an economist respectively.[2] Khiznyak and his family where evacuated from Khoiniki due to the Chernobyl disaster being resettled in Smalyavichy before moving to Chysts.[2] Khimnyak graduated from the Belarusian Commercial University with a law degree, and continued his education at the Academy of Public Administration.[2]
Career
[edit]After his graduation Khiznyak worked as a lawyer for Belgiproagropischeprom, a design institute in Minsk before working for the Belarusian State Research and Design Institute of Urban Planning.[2] An Urban Planning specialist, Khimnyak worked on designing urban layouts for settlements in Russia, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.[2]
In 2018 he was elected member of the Minsk City Council as a member of the Republican Party of Labour and Justice (RPTS) and was reelected in 2024.[1][3] His policy positions while in the city council included working to lift western Sanctions, promoting education and family support, and preserving equality and Belarusian sovereignty.[2] In 2022 Khiznyak was elected the leader of the RPTS and despite his continued rise in politics he has gone on record saying it was easier being an urban planner than a politician, and that he preferred designing cities.[2]
In November 2024 he submitted paperwork to stand for president of Belarus in the 2025 presidential election.[4]
Personal life
[edit]Khiznyak is married to Alena Alexandrovna, a museum worker, the couple have three kids; Nikita, Vladislav and Maxim.[2]
While in high-school Khiznyak was a Greco-Roman wrestler and he shares a name with Ukrainian Alexander Khizhnyak who won a gold medal for boxing at the 2024 Summer Olympics, and silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Выборы в Беларуси: что известно о кандидатах в президенты в соседней стране". FederalPress (in Russian). 23 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Александр Хижняк". 24smi. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Минская городская избирательная комиссия назвала имена избранных депутатов Мингорсовета" (in Russian). Belarusian Telegraph Agency. 28 February 2024.
- ^ "CEC registers five presidential candidates in Belarus". Belarusian Telegraph Agency. 23 December 2024.