Alexander Belyakov was born in Sortavala, Karelo-Finnish SSR in 1945.

He was elected governor of Leningrad Oblast in 1991 and joined the pro-Boris Yeltsin Our Home is Russia political party in 1995.

He was defeated by an independent, Communist Party of the Russian Federation-backed candidate, Vadim Gustov in the election in 1996.

[1] Belyakov served as president of the SBS Agro Bank from 1997–1998 before being elected to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in 1999 and serving as chairman of its national resources committee.

[2] Belyakov is currently president of the Russian Association of Paper & Pulp Organizations and Enterprises (RAO BUMPROM).