12 June 1966 1970 → | Start date June 12, 1966 | |
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Winner Leonid Brezhnev | ||
Elections to the Supreme Soviet were held in the Soviet Union on 12 June 1966.
Contents
Electoral system
Candidates had to be nominated by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) or by a public organisation. However, all public organisations were controlled by the party and were subservient to a 1931 law that required them to accept party rule. The CPSU itself remained the only legal one in the country.
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. Turnout was required to be over 50% for the election to be valid.
Candidates
CPSU candidates accounted for around three quarters of the nominees, whilst many of the others were members of Komsomol.