1966 Soviet Union legislative election

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1966 Soviet Union legislative election
← 1962 12 June 1966 1970 →
All 1,517 seats in the Supreme Soviet
  First party Second party
  Brezhnev-color.jpg
Leader Leonid Brezhnev
Party CPSU Independents
Leader since 14 October 1964
Seats before 1094 349
Seats won 1141 376
Seat change Increase47 Increase27
Percentage 75.2% 24.8%
Chairman of the Council of Ministers before election

Alexei Kosygin
CPSU

Elected Chairman of the Council of Ministers

Alexei Kosygin
CPSU

Elections to the seventh Supreme Soviet were held in the Soviet Union on 12 June 1966.[1]

Electoral system[]

Candidates had to be nominated by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) or by a public organisation.[2] However, all public organisations were controlled by the party and were subservient to a 1931 law that required them to accept party rule.[2] The CPSU itself remained the only legal one in the country.[3]

Voters could vote against the CPSU candidate if they wished, but could only do so by using polling booths, whereas votes for the party could be cast simply by submitting a blank ballot.[2] Turnout was required to be over 50% for the election to be valid.[2]

Candidates[]

CPSU candidates accounted for around three quarters of the nominees, whilst many of the others were members of Komsomol.[4]

Results[]

Soviet of the Union
Soviet of Nationalities
Party Soviet of the Union Soviet of Nationalities
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
Communist Party of the Soviet Union 143,570,976 99.8 573 143,595,678 99.8 568
Independents 194 182
Against 345,643 0.2 – 320,972 0.2 –
Invalid/blank votes 412 – – 381 – –
Total 143,917,031 100 767 143,917,031 100 750
Registered voters/turnout 144,000,973 100 – 144,000,973 100 –
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

References[]

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1642 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. ^ a b c d Nohlen & Stöver, p1630
  3. ^ Nohlen & Stöver, p1654
  4. ^ Nohlen & Stöver, p1631
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