1958 Soviet Union legislative election

Elections to the Supreme Soviet were held in the Soviet Union on 16 March 1958.[1]

1958 Soviet Union legislative election

16 March 1958

All 1378 seats to the Soviet Supreme Soviet
  First party Second party
 
Leader Nikita Khrushchev
Party CPSU Independent
Leader since 13 March 1953
Seats won 1048 330
Percentage 76.1% 23.9%

Chairman of the Council of Ministers before election

Nikolai Bulganin
CPSU

Elected Chairman of the Council of Ministers

Nikita Khrushchev
CPSU

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

Party Soviet of the Union Soviet of Nationalities
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
Communist Party of the Soviet Union133,214,65299.6563133,431,52499.7485
Independents175155
Against580,6410.4363,7360.3
Invalid/blank votes798831
Total133,796,091100738133,796,091100640
Registered voters/turnout133,836,325100133,836,325100
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1642 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p1630
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p1654
  4. Nohlen & Stöver, p1631
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