Reforming the electoral system: The 1989 elections to the USSR congress of people's deputies

Abstract

As part of the programmes of perestroika and democratization, the Soviet electoral system has been overhauled, allowing voters a choice of candidate for the first time for decades. Following an experiment in 1987, the elections to the Congress of People's Deputies in March 1989 were the first test of the new system. In a number of ways, opportunities for choice and political participation were expanded, and the flow of relevant information was far greater than on previous occasions. Experience of the campaign shows that the contest was very lively and was taken seriously at the grass‐roots level, and the results showed the electorate willing to make use of the opportunity to reject ‘old‐style’ candidates, even where these were running unopposed. This affected the composition of the Supreme Soviet, which was more capable of performing a significant political role. The subsequent abolition of the party's guaranteed monopoly opens the way for other groups to make use of these fresh political opportunities.