Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union Верховный Совет СССР
Legislative body in the Soviet Union
Type
Type	Bicameral
Chambers	Soviet of Nationalities Soviet of the Union
History
Established	1938
Disbanded	1991
Preceded by	Congress of Soviets and the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union
Succeeded by	Congress of People's Deputies Several post-Soviet Supreme Councils: list  Supreme Soviet of Russia Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia Supreme Soviet of Kazakhstan Supreme Soviet of Belarus Supreme Council of Lithuania Parliament of Moldova Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan Supreme Soviet of Turkmenistan Supreme Soviet of Estonia Supreme Soviet of Latvia Supreme Soviet of Armenia Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan
Seats	542 (at dissolution) 1500 (at peak)
Elections
Voting system	Direct non-competitive elections (1936—1989) Elected by Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union (1989—1991)
Last election	4 March 1984 (last direct election) 25 May 1990 (last - and only - indirect election)
Meeting place
Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow Kremlin

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The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (Russian: Верхо́вный Сове́т СССР, Verkhóvnyj Sovét SSSR) was the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union^[1] and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. It elected the Presidium, formed the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Court, and appointed the Procurator General of the Soviet Union.

Structure

The Supreme Soviet was made up of two chambers, each with equal legislative powers, with members elected for four-year terms:^[2]

• The Soviet of the Union, elected on the basis of population with one deputy for every 300,000 people in the Soviet federation
• The Soviet of Nationalities, supposed to represent the ethnic populations, with members elected on the basis of 32 deputies from each union republic, 11 from each autonomous republic, five from each autonomous oblast (region), and one from each autonomous okrug (district). The administrative units of the same type would send in the same number of members regardless of their size or population.

Under the Soviet constitutions of 1936 and 1977, the Supreme Soviet was imbued with great lawmaking powers. In practice, however, it functioned as a rubber stamp for decisions already made by the CPSU. This later became common practice in all Communist countries. However, with the advent of Perestroika and the partially free elections in 1989, the Supreme Soviet acquired a greater role in the government.

After 1989 it consisted of 542 deputies (down from previously 1,500). The meetings of the body were also more frequent, from six to eight months a year.^[3] The presidium carried out the day-to-day operations of the Supreme Soviet when it was not in session.

Chairmen of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1938–1989)

1. Mikhail Kalinin 1938–1946
2. Nikolay Shvernik 1946–1953
3. Kliment Voroshilov 1953–1960
4. Leonid Brezhnev 1960–1964
5. Anastas Mikoyan 1964–1965
6. Nikolai Podgorny 1965–1977
7. Leonid Brezhnev (second term) 1977–1982
8. Yuri Andropov 1982–1984
9. Konstantin Chernenko 1984–1985
10. Andrey Gromyko 1985–1988
11. Mikhail Gorbachev 1 October 1988 – 25 May 1989

Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1989–1991)

• Mikhail Gorbachev 25 May 1989 - 15 March 1990
• Anatoly Lukyanov 15 March 1990 - 22 August 1991

See also

• All-Russian Central Executive Committee
• Supreme Soviet of Russia

References

External links

• Electoral law of 1937