[1] He was later confirmed in the position in a general election, where he was a candidate representing the ruling United Russia party.

In 1987 he graduated from the full-time department of the Law Faculty of Andrei Zhdanov Leningrad State University (now Saint Petersburg State University), where he was classmates with Dmitry Medvedev, Nikolai Vinnichenko, Anton Ivanov, and Konstantin Chuichenko.

[7] On 10 September 2017, he won the election of the head of Karelia as a United Russia candidate, gaining 61.34% of the votes.

On 24 February 2023, the US Department of State added Parfenchikov to its sanctions list in relation to the Russo-Ukrainian war.

[10][11] On 1 April 2023, Parfenchikov was also added to the sanctions list maintained by Ukraine as the head of a government entity that supports, encourages, or publicly approves the policies of the Russian Federation that lead to military operations and the genocide of civilians in Ukraine.