Mikhail Porfirovich Burla (born 22 November 1957 in Storozhynets Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast

Chernivtsi Oblast

Chernivtsi Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine, bordering on Romania and Moldova. It has a large variety of landforms: the Carpathian Mountains and picturesque hills at the foot of the mountains gradually change to a broad partly forested plain situated between the Dniester and Prut rivers....

, Ukrainian SSR

Ukrainian SSR

The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...

) is a politician in Transnistria

Transnistria

Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...

 and the chairman of the country's main opposition party, Renewal

Renewal (Transnistria)

Renewal or Renovation , a pro-business political party in Transnistria. Since the legislative elections of 2005 it is the majority party in the Transnistrian Parliament but in opposition to the current PMR President Igor Smirnov.It was founded as a political NGO in 2000 and campaigned under its...

 (Obnovleniye, sometimes translated as Renovation).

He is a member of Transnistria's parliament

Transnistrian Supreme Soviet

The Supreme Council of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic is the parliament of Transnistria. The unicameral legislature consists of 43 seats, all of which are determined by single mandate constituencies...

, where he has been vice-speaker since 22 July 2009, and an ally of fellow party-members Yevgeni Shevchuk

Yevgeni Shevchuk

Yevgeny Vasilyevich Shevchuk or Evgheni Vasilievici Şevciuk is an ethnic Ukrainian and a politician from Transnistria, former speaker of Pridnestrovian Supreme Soviet and one of the leaders of the opposition party Renewal.Yevgeny Shevchuk is a lawyer who has worked in government and private...

 (speaker

Speaker (politics)

The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...

 of parliament from December 2005 until July 2009) and Anatoliy Kaminski

Anatoliy Kaminski

Anatoliy Vladimirovich Kaminski is an ethnic Ukrainian and a politician from Transnistria, current speaker of Pridnestrovian Supreme Soviet and deputy chairman of the opposition party Renewal.-Personal life:...

 (speaker since 2009).

Burla was born in 22 November 1957 in Storozhynets Raion of the Chernivtsi Oblast

Chernivtsi Oblast

Chernivtsi Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine, bordering on Romania and Moldova. It has a large variety of landforms: the Carpathian Mountains and picturesque hills at the foot of the mountains gradually change to a broad partly forested plain situated between the Dniester and Prut rivers....

 in Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. He is an economic geographer

Economic geography

Economic geography is the study of the location, distribution and spatial organization of economic activities across the world. The subject matter investigated is strongly influenced by the researcher's methodological approach. Neoclassical location theorists, following in the tradition of Alfred...

 by profession and has spent much of his career teaching at T.G. Shevchenko University in Tiraspol

Tiraspol

Tiraspol is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic . The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River...

. He is married with two daughters.