1) Political construction of all republics of the USSR, 2) People in power in each of the republics, and 3) the Cabinet of each republic
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1991 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SUN7580 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 1) Political construction of all republics of the USSR, 2) People in power in each of the republics, and 3) the Cabinet of each republic, 1 January 1991, SUN7580, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab198b.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Please find attached information from Radio Free Europe that provides details of the political situation in the Soviet republics. A brief outline of developments in 1990 as well as answers to questions 2) and 3) are provided below. All dates given are for 1990. When «RFE Material» is cited, it refers to the information attached from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Report on the USSR, Vol. 3, No. 1, 4 January 1991. For a brief outline of the political developments in each republic as well as answers to questions 2) and 3), see the information below.
Estonia: Free, multi-party elections were held on 18 March. Sixteen parties participated. As a result, seats within the Estonian Supreme Council are held as follows: Intermovement, 26 percent; Free Estonia, 28 percent; Estonian Popular Front, 24 Percent; «national radicals», 22 percent. On 30 March, the Estonian Supreme Council passed a declaration beginning a transition period which would culminate in full independence for Estonia.
President (Chairman of the Supreme Council): Arnold Ruutel
Prime Minister: Edgar Savisaar
Ruutel is a member of Free Estonia, a party controlled by current and former leaders of the Estonian Communist Party. Savisaar is a member of the Estonian Popular Front, a movement similar to Western social democratic parties.
Latvia: Free, multi-party elections in the spring in which the People's Front gained a majority in the Supreme Council (formerly the Supreme Soviet). The Front is an umbrella group which endorsed candidates from the Social Democratic, Liberal, Green, and Communist parties. On 4 May, the Supreme Council passed a resolution which commits the government to transform Latvia into an independent and democratic state.
Chairman of the Supreme Council: Anatolijs Gorbenovs
Prime Minister: Ivars Godmanis
Foreign Minister: Janis Jurkans
Lithuania: Free, multi-party elections held on 24 February, in which Sajudis won a majority. On 11 March, the Supreme Council, formerly the Supreme Soviet, voted to restore the sovereign powers of the Lithuanian state.
Chairman of the Supreme Council: Vytautus Landsbergis
Prime Minister: Kazimiera Prunskiene (resigned recently)
Ukraine: Multi-party elections in March. On 16 July, the Ukrainian Supreme Soviet adopts a declaration of state sovereignty for the Ukraine.
1st Secretary of the Ukrainian Communist Party: Stanislav Hurenko
Chairman of Supreme Soviet: Leonid Kravchuk
Chairman of the Council of Ministers: V.P. Fokin
Foreign Minister: Anatolii Zlenko
Russia:
President: Boris Yeltsin
Prime Minister: Ivan Silaev
Foreign Minister: Andrei Kozyrev
Minister of Press and Mass Media: Mikhail Poltoranin
Byelorussia: Multi-party elections in the spring resulted in a communist government. On 27 July, the Byelorussian Supreme Soviet passed a declaration of state sovereignty.
1st Secretary of the Communist Party of Byelorussia: Anatolii Malofeev
Chairman of Council of Ministers: Vyacheslav Kebich
Moldavia: Multi-party elections in March and April resulted in a non-communist government led by the Moldavian Popular Front. The MPF and groups closely linked to it won 70 percent of the seats in the Moldavian Supreme Soviet. On 23 June, the Supreme Soviet passed a declaration of sovereignty.
President: Mircea Snegur
Prime Minister: Mircea Druc
Internal Affairs Minister: Ion Costas
The government consists of «radical reformers» (RFE Material,
p. 25)
Kazakhstan: Multi-party elections held in April. In 1990, the republic's legislature adopted a declaration of sovereignty.
President: Nursultan Nazarbaev
Kirgizia: Elections were held on 25 February and resulted in a Communist Party victory. Only one candidate from an alternative party, a member of the Kirgiz Democratic Movement, was elected. The republic has not issued a declaration of sovereignty but its legislature has stated that Kirgizia is «an independent sovereign state.» (RFE Material, p. 31)
President: Askar Akaev
Akaev is a former President of the Kirgiz Academy of Science and is thought to be a «liberal.» (RFE Material, p. 31)
Tajikistan: A state of emergency is still in effect in the republic's capital Dushanbe. Tajikistan has a communist government. On 24 August, the republican Supreme Soviet issued a «declaration of republican sovereignty.»
1st Secretary of the Communist Party of Tajikistan: Kakhar Makhkamov
Makhkamov is described as a supporter of the reformist President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin.(RFE Material, p. 33)
Turkmenistan: Elections held on 7 January, resulted in the republican Communist Party winning 90 percent of the seats in Turkmenistan's Supreme Soviet. There were no candidates fielded by the main informal opposition group, Agzybirlik. The republic is the only one in the USSR without a «legally sanctioned alternative political organization,» to the Communist Party. According to Radio Free Europe, Turkmenistan has made the least progress of all the republics toward democratization. (RFE Material, p. 36)
President: Saparmurad Nizayov
Nizayov is also 1st Secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan and Chairman of the Supreme Soviet.
Uzbekistan: Elections were held in 1990. The republic has a communist government. The president has utilized rule-by-decree extensively. Despite a declaration of sovereignty, Uzbekistan has maintained close ties with the rest of the USSR, especially Russia. During the year, the Council of Ministers was abolished and replaced by a Cabinet of Ministers.
President: Islam Karimov (also 1st Secretary of the Uzbekistan Communist Party and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers)
Vice-President: Shukrulla Mirsaidov (former Chairman of the Council of Ministers)
Armenia: Non-communist government was installed after elections in May. The results, however, were only clear by late July. In late August, the Armenian legislature issued a declaration of independence.
President: Levan Ter-Petrossyan (of the Armenian Pan-National Movement)
Georgia: Elections in October produced a non-communist government, headed by the Round Table/Free Georgia coalition. The Georgian legislature abolished the status of the South Ossetian Autonomous Region and a state of emergency in now in force in that region.
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet: Zviad Gamaskhurdia (leader of Round Table/Free Georgia)
Chairman of the Council of Ministers: Tengiz Singua (Round Table/Free Georgia)
Azerbaijan: The Communist Party won multi-party elections to the republic's Supreme Soviet on 30 September. The fairness of those elections was subsequently questioned. (RFE Material, p. 41) The final result was not known until a third round of voting took place on 16 December. A state of emergency exists in the republic's capital, Baku.
President: Ayaz Mutalibov