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Congress of People’s Deputies

Soviet government

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The Congress of People's Deputies was a new parliament established in the Soviet Union in 1988 as part of Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika reforms. Similar congresses were created in each Soviet republic. For the first time, elections to these bodies allowed voters to choose from multiple candidates, including non-communists, though the Communist Party still held significant influence.12

The soviet system itself originated in 1905 as councils of workers' deputies. These soviets, which officially performed both legislative and executive functions, became primary units of government at various levels throughout the Soviet Union. The Communist Party heavily dominated the political process, and elections were largely ritualistic until the late 1980s reforms. The Soviet Union officially dissolved in December 1991.31

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