1950 Soviet Union legislative election explained

Country:Soviet Union
Flag Year:1936
Type:parliamentary
Previous Election:1946 Soviet Union legislative election
Previous Year:1946
Next Election:1954 Soviet Union legislative election
Next Year:1954
Seats For Election:All 1,316 seats in the Supreme Soviet
Election Date:12 March 1950
Image1:Joseph Stalin, 1950 (cropped).jpg
Leader1:Joseph Stalin
Party1:VKP(b)
Last Election1:1,085 seats
Seats1:1,099
Seat Change1: 14
Party2:Independents
Last Election2:254 seats
Seats2:217
Seat Change2: 37
Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Before Election:Joseph Stalin
Before Party:Communist Party of the Soviet Union
After Election:Joseph Stalin
After Party:Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Alliance1:BKB
Alliance2:BKB

Elections to the Supreme Soviet were held in the Soviet Union on 12 March 1950.[1]

Electoral system

Candidates had to be nominated by the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) (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 party in the country.[3]

Voters could in theory vote against the CPSU candidate, 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 Nationalities

Notes and References

  1. [Dieter Nohlen]
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p1630
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p1654
  4. Nohlen & Stöver, p1631