1989 Soviet legislative election

E6793

The 1989 Soviet legislative election was the first relatively competitive, partially free national election in the Soviet Union, marking a major step in Mikhail Gorbachev’s political reforms and the beginning of the end for one-party rule.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form As subject As object
1984 Soviet legislative election 0 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Soviet election
legislative election
allowedNonPartyCandidates true
bodyElected Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
country Soviet Union
degreeOfCompetitiveness partially free
relatively competitive
electoralBody Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
electoralReformBasis 1988 constitutional amendments of the Soviet Union
electoralSystemChange ended automatic appointment of many deputies by party and social organizations
endDate 1989-03-26
followedBy 1990 Soviet legislative election
generalSecretaryDuringElection Mikhail Gorbachev
governmentTypeDuringElection one-party socialist state
headOfStateDuringElection Mikhail Gorbachev
historicalPeriod final years of the Soviet Union
late Cold War
impact contributed to the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union
strengthened reformist and nationalist movements in Soviet republics
weakened monopoly of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
introducedCompetitiveElectionsTo Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
introducedElement limited political pluralism in candidate selection
languageOfCampaigning Russian
various languages of Soviet republics
legislature Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
location Soviet Union
mainRulingParty Communist Party of the Soviet Union
notableFeature multiple candidates in many constituencies
presence of prominent dissidents and non-communist candidates
televised campaign and public debates
numberOfSeatsContested 2250
partOf Gorbachev reforms
perestroika
politicalContext glasnost
perestroika
precededBy 1989 Soviet legislative election self-linksurface differs
surface form: 1984 Soviet legislative election
region Eastern Europe
resultedIn creation of an opposition group within the Congress of People's Deputies
increased public criticism of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
televised debates in the Congress of People's Deputies
significance first relatively competitive national election in the Soviet Union
major step in political liberalization under Mikhail Gorbachev
marked erosion of one-party rule in the Soviet Union
startDate 1989-03-26
typeOfElection parliamentary
voterParticipation high
votingSystem first-past-the-post
multi-candidate constituencies

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union lastElection 1989 Soviet legislative election
1989 Soviet legislative election precededBy 1989 Soviet legislative election self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: 1984 Soviet legislative election