1966 Soviet Union legislative election

Elections to the Supreme Soviet were held in the Soviet Union on 12 June 1966.[1]

1966 Soviet Union legislative election
12 June 1966
All 1517 seats to the Soviet Supreme Soviet
  First party Second party
 
Leader Leonid Brezhnev
Party CPSU Independent
Leader since 14 October 1964
Seats won 1141 376
Percentage 75.2% 24.8%
Chairman of the Council of Ministers before election

Alexei Kosygin
CPSU

 Elected Chairman of the Council of Ministers

Alexei Kosygin
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 if they wished, 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 the Union
Soviet of Nationalities
Party Soviet of the Union Soviet of Nationalities
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
Communist Party of the Soviet Union143,570,97699.8573143,595,67899.8568
Independents194182
Against345,6430.2–320,9720.2–
Invalid/blank votes412––381––
Total143,917,031100767143,917,031100750
Registered voters/turnout144,000,973100–144,000,973100–
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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