Politburo of the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

The 26th Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was elected by the 26th Central Committee in the aftermath of the 26th Congress.

26th Politburo (1981–1986)

Candidate members

Name (birth–death)	Took office	Left office	Duration
Heydar Aliyev (1923–2003)	3 March 1981	22 November 1982	5 years, 3 days
Pyotr Demichev (1917–2000)	3 March 1981	6 March 1986	5 years, 3 days
Tikhon Kiselyov (1917–1983)	3 March 1981	11 January 1983	1 year, 314 days
Vasili Kuznetsov (1901–1990)	3 March 1981	6 March 1986	5 years, 3 days
Boris Ponomarev (1905–1995)	3 March 1981	6 March 1986	5 years, 3 days
Sharof Rashidov (1917–1983)	3 March 1981	31 October 1983	2 years, 242 days
Mikhail Solomentsev (1913–2008)	3 March 1981	26 December 1983	2 years, 298 days
Vasili Kuznetsov (1901–1990)	3 October 1977	3 March 1981	3 years, 151 days
Eduard Shevardnadze (1928–2014)	3 March 1981	1 July 1985	4 years, 120 days
Vladimir Dolgikh (born 1924)	24 May 1982	6 March 1986	3 years, 286 days
Vitaly Vorotnikov (1926–2012)	15 June 1983	26 December 1983	194 days
Viktor Chebrikov (1923–1999)	26 October 1983	23 April 1985	1 year, 312 days
Sergey Sokolov (1911–2012)	23 April 1985	6 March 1986	317 days
Nikolai Talyzin (1929–1991)	15 October 1985	6 March 1986	142 days
Boris Yeltsin (1931–2007)	18 February 1986	6 March 1986	142 days

Full members

Name (birth–death)	Took office	Left office	Duration
Yuri Andropov (1914–1984)	3 March 1981	9 February 1984	5 years, 3 days
Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982)	3 March 1981	10 November 1982	1 year, 221 days
Mikhail Gorbachev (born 1931)	3 March 1981	6 March 1986	5 years, 3 days
Viktor Grishin (1914–1992)	3 March 1981	18 February 1986	4 years, 352 days
Andrei Gromyko (1909–1989)	3 March 1981	6 March 1986	5 years, 3 days
Andrei Kirilenko (1906–1990)	3 March 1981	22 November 1982	1 year, 264 days
Dinmukhamed Konayev (1912–1993)	3 March 1981	6 March 1986	5 years, 3 days
Arvīds Pelše (1899–1983)	3 March 1981	29 May 1983	2 years, 87 days
Grigory Romanov (1923–2008)	3 March 1981	1 July 1985	4 years, 120 days
Mikhail Suslov (1902–1982)	3 March 1981	25 January 1982	328 days
Nikolai Tikhonov (1905–1997)	3 March 1981	15 October 1985	4 years, 226 days
Konstantin Chernenko (1911–1985)	3 March 1981	10 March 1985	4 years, 7 days
Volodymyr Shcherbytsky (1918–1990)	3 March 1981	6 March 1986	5 years, 3 days
Vitaly Vorotnikov (1926–2012)	18 December 1983	6 March 1986	2 years, 78 days
Mikhail Solomentsev (1913–2008)	26 December 1983	6 March 1986	2 years, 70 days
Viktor Chebrikov (1923–1999)	23 April 1985	6 March 1986	317 days
Yegor Ligachev (born 1920)	23 April 1985	6 March 1986	317 days
Nikolai Ryzhkov (born 1929)	23 April 1985	6 March 1986	317 days
Eduard Shevardnadze (1928-2014)	1 July 1985	6 March 1986	248 days