1990 Soviet Union presidential election
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The 1990 Soviet Union presidential election was held in the Soviet Union on 14 March 1990 to elect a president for a five-year term. This was the first and only presidential election to be held in the Soviet Union. This was due to the office of president being established in 1990, a year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The elections were uncontested, with Mikhail Gorbachev, then-General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as the only candidate.[1][2][3]
Although the constitution required the president to be directly-elected,[4] it was decided that the first elections should be held on an indirect basis as it was necessary for a president to be elected immediately and processes taking place in the country did not leave time for elections to be held.[5]
Background
On 7 February 1990, about a month prior to the election, Communist Party leaders voted on establishing a presidency.
Candidates
On 14 March, during a plenum of the
Nominee
Communist Party |
Mikhail Gorbachev |
---|
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (1989–1990) |
Withdrew
Candidate | Political office |
---|---|
Vadim Bakatin | Minister of Interior (1988–1990) |
Nikolai Ryzhkov | Council of Ministers (1985–1991) |
Mikhail Gorbachev's campaign
Gorbachev worked with the Congress to make sure that he secured a two-thirds majority; otherwise, he would have to campaign against other candidates in a general election. One of the tactics he used was repeatedly threatening to resign if a two-thirds majority wasn't attained.[8]
Results
At the time of the elections, 2,245 of the 2,250 seats were filled; however, 245 did not attend the Congress and a further 122 did not vote.[1]
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mikhail Gorbachev | Communist Party of the Soviet Union | 1,329 | 72.86 | |
Against | 495 | 27.14 | ||
Total | 1,824 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 1,824 | 97.12 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 54 | 2.88 | ||
Total votes | 1,878 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 2,245 | 83.65 | ||
Source: BBC[1] |
Aftermath
On 15 March, the day after the election, at a meeting of the Congress of People's Deputies, Gorbachev took office as President.[9][10] On 24 March, 10 days after the election, President Gorbachev appointed his cabinet.[11]
Reactions
The means of this election drew mixed reactions. Sergei Stankevich, a deputy from Moscow, decided that he would abstain from voting, despite supporting Gorbachev, because he believed that the new president should face a nationwide vote. Others were upset with the lack of real opposition against Gorbachev for a position that sought to increase democracy throughout the Soviet Union. Sakhalin Island Deputy Ivan Zhdakayev expressed discontent over this: "Elections mean a popular vote, not this charade." Kazakhstani Deputy Olzhas Suleimenov believed that reforms under Gorbachev were inconsistent.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e Первый и последний: как Горбачев стал президентом СССР BBC Russian, 11 March 2015
- ^ Выборы первого президента СССР Rusfate, 18 March 2018
- ^ a b Избрание М.С. Горбачева Президентом СССР на Третьем съезде народных депутатов СССР Archived 2020-10-30 at the Wayback Machine Istoriya.RF
- ^ USSR Constitution 1977. Article 127.1 Garant
- ^ 15 МАРТА 1990 Г. 25 ЛЕТ НАЗАД МИХАИЛ ГОРБАЧЕВ БЫЛ ИЗБРАН ЕДИНСТВЕННЫМ В ИСТОРИИ СССР ПРЕЗИДЕНТОМ Live Internet, 15 March 2015
- ^ Dobbs, Michael (February 8, 1990). "SOVIET PARTY VOTES TO DROP MONOPOLY ON POWER". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ a b Remnick, David (March 15, 1990). "GORBACHEV ELECTED PRESIDENT". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ "Gorbachev elected president of the Soviet Union". History. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ^ Присяга Горбачева в качестве президента СССР Archived 2019-03-07 at the Wayback Machine Diletant, 15 March 2016
- ^ Инаугурация - праздник победы кандидата большинства RBC, 7 May 2012
- ^ "GORBACHEV APPOINTS NEW CABINET". The Washington Post. March 25, 1990. Retrieved March 6, 2019.