Pravda on the Soviet
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USSR elections
"The people have made their choice" "THIS WHOLE WEEK, our lives have been dominated by the experience of the election of USSR people's deputies. The emotions are giving way to serious analysis and reflection. Everyone agrees that we have never had such elections. After April 1985 [the CP plenum that launched perestroika], these elections hold a special place in the country's history....They have once again convincingly demonstrated the potentialities of socialism, of our democracy....
"But to be honest, the elections brought many surprises. Today there are things that we have to think seriously about. Why in a series of cases were candidates strongly supported by party committees rejected by the voters? Why was the desire of party committees not to see people not approved of by the apparatus become deputies (B.N. Yeltsin, for example) overturned by powerful support from the people? Why were some first secretaries of district party committees not elected, although they were the only ones left on the ballot! Why did some workers, military figures, and scholars not this process."
(V. Liubitskii and A. Chernyak in Pravda, April 4.) "The lessons of the elections, the lessons of truth" "THE JOINT plenum of the Leningrad district and city Communist Party committees held today was devoted to a deepgoing self-criticism with respect to the election for the Congress of People's Deputies. For the first time in many years, a list of speakers was not drawn up in advance and anyone who wanted to express an opinion about the unusual events of March 26 could do so.
"A series of leading party and Soviet personalities, including the first secretaries of the CP district and city committees failed to get sufficient votes to be elected. Participants in the plenum conducted a sharp, principled discussion, relating the vote to the new social and political situation that has emerged in the country as a whole, as well as in Leningrad....
Boris Yeltsin
"The plenum characterized the election results as a serious political lesson. It strongly recommended that Communists relegate the old approaches and methods to the archives and constantly concern themselves with preserving and reinforcing the party's vanguard role in society. The need was stressed for working out measures to meet the criticisms expressed by the voters during the campaign and election."
(Pravda, April 5.) * get a majority?....
The people no long fear to stand up for
İNTERNATIØNAL their opinions....That is a conquest of perestroika.....
"Along with that, we must not close our eyes to the fact that some party organiza-
MARXISTREVIEW tions suffered certain 'losses.' When a district committee first secretary fails to get elected, that is a signal for serious thought.
Of course, nothing tragic happened. The party itself proposed the system of competition....Nonetheless, to call things by their
Special issue on Europe:
• Stages in European integration
Vol. 4. Mo. i
Spring 1989
12.50/35
BRUXELLES
- Pierre Bron right name, defeat of a party leader in the elections means that he [sic] has to change leadership - Ernest Mandel his style of work, take a critical look at
(Pravda editorial, April 1.)
- Claude Gabriel
"Advance toward
- Livio Maitan democracy"
- Penny Duggan
"THE RESULTS of the elections show that the voters as a rule rejected attempts to put pressure on them, both of the administra-
- Catherine Verla tive-command type and the psychological type (from various types of informal
- Angela Klein groups). Those who 'overdid it' in advertising themselves in most cases did not
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win. And that also is a testimony to a growall countries (surface) £10/120FF/$17.
ing democratic consciousness in the society
"Unfortunately, it has to be acknowledged that in the choice of the forms and methods of their work party committees
28 not inequenty tell behind the mendees
International Viewpoint #161 • April 17, 1989
• European bourgeoisie: crisis of • What social dimension to 1992? • The workers' movement and 1992 • Europe and women's rights • Socialist answers to the crisis • Towards military integration?
Europe - horizon 1992