1958 Soviet Union legislative election explained

Election Name:1958 Soviet Union legislative election
Country:Soviet Union
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1954 Soviet Union legislative election
Previous Year:1954
Next Election:1962 Soviet Union legislative election
Next Year:1962
Seats For Election:All 1,378 seats in the Supreme Soviet
Election Date:16 March 1958
Leader1:Nikita Khrushchev
Party1:Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Leader Since1:13 March 1953
Seats1:1048
Seat Change1:2
Percentage1:76.1%
Party2:Independent politician
Seats2:330
Percentage2:23.9%
Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Before Election:Nikolai Bulganin
Before Party:Communist Party of the Soviet Union
After Election:Nikita Khrushchev
After Party:Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Seat Change2:33
Last Election1:1050
Last Election2:297

Elections to the Supreme Soviet were held in the Soviet Union on 16 March 1958.[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, 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