Nicolae Coval

Nicolae Coval (19 December 1904 – 15 January 1970) was a Soviet and Moldavian politician.

Nicolae Coval was born on 19 December 1904 in the city of Camenca, Russian Empire (now in Transnistria, Republic of Moldova). Nicolae Coval became a member of the CPSU in 1939; in the period 1940–1945, he served as the People's Commissar for Agriculture of the MSSR. At Congresses I - IV, X - XII of the Communist Party of the MSSR was elected as a member of the Central Committee. He also served as deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (in Legislative 1, 2, 6 and 7) and deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (in the 1-3 legislatures).

Coval was the prime minister of Moldavian SSR (17 April 1945 – 5 January 1946). Coval was also the First Secretary of the Moldavian Communist Party (5 January 1946 - July 1950).

During his rule, the hunger of 1946-1947 occurred in the Moldаvian SSR, when more than 170 thousand people died^{[citation needed]}. The hunger had partially objective reasons (relatively low harvest), while partially was organized by Soviet Authorities^{[citation needed]} (Joseph Stalin and the Communist Party), which urged the completion of Soviet grain stocks. The hunger was stopped in the autumn of 1947, after which a forced collectivisation of agriculture in Bessarabia was ordered by Soviet authorities.

• *** - Enciclopedia sovietică moldovenească (Chişinău, 1970–1977)