Difference between revisions of "Soviet Union referendum, 1991"
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Template:Expand Russian Template:Infobox referendum
A referendum on the future of the Soviet Union was held on 17 March 1991. The question put to voters was
Do you consider necessary the preservation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics in which the rights and freedom of an individual of any nationality will be fully guaranteed?[1]
In Kazakhstan, the wording of the referendum was changed by substituting "equal sovereign states" for "equal sovereign republics".[2]
Although the vote was boycotted by the authorities in Armenia, Estonia, Georgia (though not the breakaway province of Abkhazia, where the result was over 98% in favour,[3] and in South Ossetia),[4] Latvia, Lithuania, and Moldova (though not Transnistria or Gagauzia),[5] turnout was 80% across the rest of the Soviet Union.[2] The referendum's question was approved by nearly 70% of voters in all nine other republics that took part.[6] It was the only referendum in the history of the Soviet Union, which was dissolved on 26 December 1991.[7][8]
Contents
Overview
On December 24, 1990, deputies of the 4th Congress of People's Deputies, having voted by name, decided to consider it necessary to preserve the USSR as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics, which will be fully ensured human rights and freedoms of any nationality.[9] The referendum considered five questions:
- Do you consider it necessary to preserve the USSR as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics, which will be fully ensured human rights and freedoms of any nationality? (Yes/No)
- Do you consider it necessary to preserve the USSR as a single state? (Yes/No)
- Do you consider it necessary to preserve the socialist system in the USSR? (Yes/No)
- Do you consider it necessary to preserve in the renovated Union of Soviet power? (Yes/No)
- Do you feel the need to safeguard the Union in the renewed human rights and freedoms of any nationality? (Yes/No) (Any legal or legislative consequences, in case of acceptance of, or otherwise, was not specified)
On the same day, at the initiative and insistence of the President Mikhail Gorbachev,[10][11] the Congress adopted two decisions on holding a referendum on the private ownership of land [6] and on the preservation of the Union as a renewed federation of equal sovereign of Soviet Socialist Republics [7]. For the adoption of the first resolution voted in 1553 deputies, against - 84, abstained - 70. For the adoption of the second resolution voted in 1677 deputies, against - 32, abstained - 66.[10]
However, concerning the first decision the Chairman YH Kalmykov later explained at a session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Supreme Council Committee for Legislation, the president asked to refrain from holding a referendum on the issue of private property.[10]
Second course was given to the decree. It said that "due to numerous appeals of workers expressed concern about the fate of the USSR, and given that the preservation of a single union state is the most important issue of public life, affects the interests of each person, all the Soviet Union's population",[12] the Congress of People's Deputies USSR decided:
1. Conduct a referendum of the USSR to address the issue of maintaining the Union as a renewed federation of equal sovereign Soviet Socialist Republics, taking into account the results of voting for each country separately.
2. To instruct the USSR Supreme Council set a date for the referendum and ensure its measures.
— Resolution of the USSR from LICs December 24, 1990 № 1856-1[12]
On 27 December 1990, Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR decided to enact it adopted on the day the Law of the USSR "On the popular vote (Soviet Union referendum)".[12]
According to Art. 5 of the Law of the USSR "On the popular vote (Soviet Union referendum)" [13] Law of the USSR referendum destination belonged to the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR, and on matters not related to the exclusive jurisdiction of the USSR Congress of People's Deputies, in the period between congresses – the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. "Based on the fact that no one, except the people can not take the historical responsibility for the fate of the USSR, pursuant to the decision of the fourth Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR in accordance with the law on the referendum of the USSR"[14] On January 16, 1991 the Supreme Council USSR decided that to:
Results
Choice | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
For | 113,512,812 | 77.8 |
Against | 32,303,977 | 22.2 |
Invalid/blank votes | 2,757,817 | – |
Total | 148,574,606 | 100 |
Registered voters/turnout | 185,647,355 | 80.0 |
Source: Nohlen & Stöver[15] |
In participating republics
Republic | For | Against | Invalid votes |
Total votes |
Registered voters |
Turnout | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||||
Template:Flagicon image Russian SFSR | 56,860,783 | 73.00 | 21,030,753 | 27.00 | 1,809,633 | 79,701,169 | 105,643,364 | 75.44 | |
Template:Flagicon image Bashkorstan | 1,908,875 | 85.9 | 269,007 | 12.1 | 43,276 | 2,221,158 | 2,719,637 | 81.7 | |
Template:Flagicon image Buryatia | 447,438 | 83.5 | 78,167 | 14.6 | 10,197 | 535,802 | 668,231 | 80.2 | |
Template:Flagicon image Dagestan | 670,488 | 82.6 | 131,522 | 16.2 | 9,999 | 812,009 | 1,008,626 | 80.5 | |
Template:Flagicon image Kabardino-Balkaria | 290,380 | 77.9 | 77,339 | 20.8 | 4,888 | 372,607 | 489,436 | 76.1 | |
Template:Flagicon image Kalmykia | 148,462 | 87.8 | 17,833 | 10.5 | 2,829 | 169,124 | 204,301 | 82.8 | |
Template:Flagicon image Karelia | 317,854 | 76.0 | 92,703 | 22.0 | 7,544 | 418,101 | 551,644 | 75.8 | |
Template:Flagicon image Komi | 412,842 | 76.0 | 119,678 | 22.0 | 10,883 | 543,403 | 797,049 | 75.44 | |
Template:Flagicon image Mari | 333,319 | 79.6 | 77,239 | 18.5 | 8,041 | 418,599 | 525,685 | 79.6 | |
Template:Flagicon image Mordovia | 459,021 | 80.3 | 101,886 | 17.8 | 10,724 | 571,631 | 677,706 | 84.3 | |
Template:Flagicon image North Ossetia | 331,823 | 90.2 | 32,786 | 8.9 | 3,249 | 367,858 | 428,307 | 85.9 | |
Template:Flagicon image Tatarstan | 1,708,193 | 87.5 | 211,516 | 10.8 | 32,059 | 1,951,768 | 2,532,383 | 77.1 | |
Template:Flagicon image Tuva | 126,598 | 91.4 | 9,404 | 6.8 | 2,494 | 138,496 | 171,731 | 80.6 | |
Template:Flagicon image Udmurtia | 622,714 | 76.0 | 180,289 | 22.0 | 16,137 | 819,140 | 1,103,083 | 74.3 | |
Template:Flagicon image Chechen–Ingush | 318,059 | 75.9 | 94,737 | 22.6 | 6,216 | 419,012 | 712,139 | 58.8 | |
Template:Flagicon image Chuvashia | 616,387 | 82.4 | 113,249 | 15.1 | 18,784 | 748,420 | 900,913 | 81.3 | |
Template:Flagicon image Yakutia | 415,712 | 76.7 | 116,798 | 21.6 | 9,483 | 541,993 | 688,679 | 78.7 | |
Template:Flagicon image Azerbaijan | 2,709,246 | 94.12 | 169,225 | 5.88 | 25,326 | 2,903,797 | 3,866,659 | 75.10 | |
Template:Flagicon image Nakhchivan | 31,328 | 87.3 | 3,620 | 10.1 | 918 | 35,866 | 174,364 | 20.6 | |
Template:Flagicon image Byelorussia | 5,069,313 | 83.72 | 986,079 | 16.28 | 71,591 | 6,126,983 | 7,354,796 | 83.31 | |
Template:Flagicon image Kazakhstan | 8,295,519 | 95.00 | 436,560 | 5.00 | 84,464 | 8,816,543 | 9,999,433 | 88.17 | |
Template:Flagicon image Kirghizia | 2,057,971 | 95.98 | 86,246 | 4.02 | 30,377 | 2,174,593 | 2,341,646 | 92.87 | |
Template:Flagicon image Tajikistan | 2,315,755 | 96.85 | 75,300 | 3.15 | 16,497 | 2,407,552 | 2,549,096 | 94.45 | |
Template:Flagicon image Turkmenia | 1,766,584 | 98.26 | 31,203 | 1.74 | 6,531 | 1,804,310 | 1,846,310 | 97.66 | |
Template:Flagicon image Ukraine | 22,110,899 | 71.48 | 8,820,089 | 28.52 | 583,256 | 31,514,244 | 37,732,178 | 83.52 | |
Template:Flagicon image Uzbekistan | 9,196,848 | 94.73 | 511,373 | 5.27 | 108,112 | 9,816,333 | 10,287,938 | 95.42 | |
Template:Flagicon image Karakalpakstan | 563,916 | 97.6 | 10,133 | 1.8 | 3,668 | 577,717 | 584,208 | 98.9 | |
Source: Direct Democracy |
A boycott campaign reduced the Against votes in Western Ukraine.[16]
In republics not participating in the Soviet referendums
An official referendum had been held in Estonia on 3 March 1991 on whether to re-establish the Estonian republic that had been occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. The result was 77.8% in favour of re-establishing the Estonian republic.[17] Latvia also held an official referendum on 3 March 1991, when the overwhelming majority voted to re-establish the independent Latvian republic.
Consequently, in these republics pro-Soviet front-organisations organised voluntary referendums without official sanction.[18][19] Turnout of voting here was considerably less than 50% of the franchised voters of these countries, but this information was not included in the official statement of the Central Commission of the Referendum of USSR.[20]
Republic | For | Against | Invalid votes |
Total votes |
Registered voters (not equal to franchised voters) |
Turnout (based on registered, not franchised voters) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | |||||
Template:Flagicon image Armenia | 2,541 | 72.46 | 966 | 27.54 | 42 | 3,549 | 4,923 | 72.09 |
Template:Flagicon image GeorgiaTemplate:Efn | 43,950 | 99.98 | 9 | 0.02 | 53 | 44,012 | 45,696 | 96.31 |
Template:Flagicon image Abkhazia | 164,231 | 98.5 | 1,566 | 0.9 | 747 | 166,544 | 318,317 | 52.3 |
Template:Flagicon image Estonia | 211,090 | 95.46 | 10,040 | 4.54 | 1,110 | 222,240 | 299,681 | 74.16 |
Template:Flagicon image Latvia | 415,147 | 95.84 | 18,015 | 4.16 | 3,621 | 436,783 | 670,828 | 65.11 |
Template:Flagicon image Lithuania | 496,050 | 99.13 | 4,355 | 0.87 | 970 | 436,783 | 582,262 | 86.11 |
Template:Flagicon image Moldova | 688,905 | 98.72 | 8,916 | 1.28 | 3,072 | 700,893 | 841,507 | 83.29 |
Source: Direct Democracy |
Additional questions
In several of the republics, additional questions were added to the ballot. In Russia, an additional question was asked on whether an elective post of the president of the Russian SFSR should be created. In Kirghizia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan the additional question was on the sovereignty of their republics as part of a new union.[2]
Kirghizia
In Kirghizia, voters were also asked "Do you agree that the Republic of Kirghizistan should be in the renewed Union as a sovereign republic with equal rights?" It was approved by 62.2% of voters, although turnout was only 81.7%, compared to 92.9% in the Union-wide referendum.[21]
Choice | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
For | 62.2 | |
Against | 37.8 | |
Invalid/blank votes | – | |
Total | 100 | |
Source: Nohlen et al. |
Ukraine
Template:Main article In the Ukraine, voters were also asked "Do you agree that Ukraine should be part of a Union of Soviet sovereign states on the basis on the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine?"[22] The proposal was approved by 81.7% of voters.[22]
Choice | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
For | 25,224,687 | 81.7 |
Against | 5,655,701 | 18.3 |
Invalid/blank votes | 584,703 | – |
Total | 31,465,091 | 100 |
Registered voters/turnout | 37,689,767 | 83.5 |
Source: Nohlen & Stöver |
At the same day a referendum in the Galician provinces Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, and Ternopil asked the three regions of the USSR about the creation of independent state of Ukraine.[23][24] 88% of the voters in this referendum supported Ukraine's independence.[25]
Uzbekistan
In Uzbekistan, voters were also asked "Do you agree that Uzbekistan should remain part of a renewed Union (federation) as a sovereign republic with equal rights?" It was approved by 94.9% of voters, with a turnout of 95.5%.[1]
Choice | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
For | 94.9 | |
Against | 5.1 | |
Invalid/blank votes | 1.1 | |
Total | 9,824,304 | 100 |
Source: Nohlen et al. |
See also
Notes
References
External links
Template:Soviet elections
Template:Azerbaijani elections
Template:Kyrgyzstani elections
Template:Ukrainian elections
Template:Uzbekistani elections
Template:1991 Independence of Ukraine
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