1989 Soviet Legislative Election
The first real choice since 191726 March 1989 · The perestroika breakthrough · 2250 seats, 1126 for a majority
Legislative elections were held in the Soviet Union on 26 March 1989 to elect members of the Congress of People's Deputies, with run-offs on 2, 9 and 20 April and 14 and 23 May. They were the first partially free nationwide elections held in the Soviet Union, and would be the last national elections held in that country before its dissolution in 1991.
Semi-free by design: a third of the seats were reserved for the CPSU and its organisations, but the contested districts offered the first genuine choice on a Soviet ballot since 1917.
Premier before
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Premier (continued)
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Largest force
CPSU
1958 of 2250 seats
Turnout
89.8%
The result
| Share of the Supreme Soviet | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPSU | Mikhail Gorbachev | 1958 | — | — | — | — | |
| Independents | — | 292 | — | — | — | — |