Soviet Union referendum, 1991
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (January 2013) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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A referendum on the future of the Soviet Union was held on 17 March 1991. The question put to voters was
Do you consider necessary the preservation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics in which the rights and freedom of an individual of any nationality will be fully guaranteed?[1]
In Kazakhstan the wording of the referendum was changed by substituting "equal sovereign states" for "equal sovereign republics."[2]
Although the vote was boycotted by the authorities in Armenia, Estonia, Georgia (though not the breakaway province of Abkhazia, where the result was over 98% in favour,[3] and in South Ossetia),[4] Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova (though not Transnistria or Gagauzia),[5] turnout was 80% across the USSR.[2] The referendum's question was approved by nearly 70% of voters in all nine other republics that took part.[6] It was the first, and only, referendum in the history of the Soviet Union, which was dissolved on 26 December 1991.[7][8]
Contents
Results[edit]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 113,512,812 | 77.8 |
| Against | 32,303,977 | 22.2 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 2,757,817 | – |
| Total | 148,574,606 | 100 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 185,647,355 | 80.0 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver[9] | ||
In participating republics[edit]
| Republic | For | Against | Invalid votes |
Total votes |
Registered voters |
Turnout | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||||
| 56,860,783 | 73.00 | 21,030,753 | 27.00 | 1,809,633 | 79,701,169 | 105,643,364 | 75.44 | ||
| 1,908,875 | 85.9 | 269,007 | 12.1 | 43,276 | 2,221,158 | 2,719,637 | 81.7 | ||
| 447,438 | 83.5 | 78,167 | 14.6 | 10,197 | 535,802 | 668,231 | 80.2 | ||
| 670,488 | 82.6 | 131,522 | 16.2 | 9,999 | 812,009 | 1,008,626 | 80.5 | ||
| 290,380 | 77.9 | 77,339 | 20.8 | 4,888 | 372,607 | 489,436 | 76.1 | ||
| 148,462 | 87.8 | 17,833 | 10.5 | 2,829 | 169,124 | 204,301 | 82.8 | ||
| 317,854 | 76.0 | 92,703 | 22.0 | 7,544 | 418,101 | 551,644 | 75.8 | ||
| 412,842 | 76.0 | 119,678 | 22.0 | 10,883 | 543,403 | 797,049 | 75.44 | ||
| 333,319 | 79.6 | 77,239 | 18.5 | 8,041 | 418,599 | 525,685 | 79.6 | ||
| 459,021 | 80.3 | 101,886 | 17.8 | 10,724 | 571,631 | 677,706 | 84.3 | ||
| 331,823 | 90.2 | 32,786 | 8.9 | 3,249 | 367,858 | 428,307 | 85.9 | ||
| 1,708,193 | 87.5 | 211,516 | 10.8 | 32,059 | 1,951,768 | 2,532,383 | 77.1 | ||
| 126,598 | 91.4 | 9,404 | 6.8 | 2,494 | 138,496 | 171,731 | 80.6 | ||
| 622,714 | 76.0 | 180,289 | 22.0 | 16,137 | 819,140 | 1,103,083 | 74.3 | ||
| 318,059 | 75.9 | 94,737 | 22.6 | 6,216 | 419,012 | 712,139 | 58.8 | ||
| 616,387 | 82.4 | 113,249 | 15.1 | 18,784 | 748,420 | 900,913 | 81.3 | ||
| 415,712 | 76.7 | 116,798 | 21.6 | 9,483 | 541,993 | 688,679 | 78.7 | ||
| 2,709,246 | 94.12 | 169,225 | 5.88 | 25,326 | 2,903,797 | 3,866,659 | 75.10 | ||
| 31,328 | 87.3 | 3,620 | 10.1 | 918 | 35,866 | 174,364 | 20.6 | ||
| 5,069,313 | 83.72 | 986,079 | 16.28 | 71,591 | 6,126,983 | 7,354,796 | 83.31 | ||
| 8,295,519 | 95.00 | 436,560 | 5.00 | 84,464 | 8,816,543 | 9,999,433 | 88.17 | ||
| 2,057,971 | 95.98 | 86,246 | 4.02 | 30,377 | 2,174,593 | 2,341,646 | 92.87 | ||
| 2,315,755 | 96.85 | 75,300 | 3.15 | 16,497 | 2,407,552 | 2,549,096 | 94.45 | ||
| 1,766,584 | 98.26 | 31,203 | 1.74 | 6,531 | 1,804,310 | 1,846,310 | 97.66 | ||
| 22,110,899 | 71.48 | 8,820,089 | 28.52 | 583,256 | 31,514,244 | 37,732,178 | 83.52 | ||
| 9,196,848 | 94.73 | 511,373 | 5.27 | 108,112 | 9,816,333 | 10,287,938 | 95.42 | ||
| 563,916 | 97.6 | 10,133 | 1.8 | 3,668 | 577,717 | 584,208 | 98.9 | ||
| Source: Direct Democracy | |||||||||
A boycott campaign reduced the Against votes in Western Ukraine.[10]
In republics not participating in the Soviet referendums[edit]
First, it must be noted an official referendum had been held in Estonia on 3 March 1991 whether to re-establish the Estonian republic that had been occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. The result was 77.8% in favour of re-establishing the Estonian republic.[11] Also Latvia held an official referendum on 3 March 1991 where the overwhelming majority voted to re-establish the independent Latvian republic.
Consequently, in these republics pro-Soviet front-organisations organised voluntary referendums without official sanction.[12][13] Turnout of voting here was considerably less than 50% of the franchised voters of these countries, but this information was not included in the official statement of the Central Commission of the Referendum of USSR.[14]
| Republic | For | Against | Invalid votes |
Total votes |
Registered voters (not equal to franchised voters) |
Turnout (based on registered, not franchised voters) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||||
| 2,541 | 72.46 | 966 | 27.54 | 42 | 3,549 | 4,923 | 72.09 | |
| 43,950 | 99.98 | 9 | 0.02 | 53 | 44,012 | 45,696 | 96.31 | |
| 164,231 | 98.5 | 1,566 | 0.9 | 747 | 166,544 | 318,317 | 52.3 | |
| 211,090 | 95.46 | 10,040 | 4.54 | 1,110 | 222,240 | 299,681 | 74.16 | |
| 415,147 | 95.84 | 18,015 | 4.16 | 3,621 | 436,783 | 670,828 | 65.11 | |
| 496,050 | 99.13 | 4,355 | 0.87 | 970 | 436,783 | 582,262 | 86.11 | |
| 688,905 | 98.72 | 8,916 | 1.28 | 3,072 | 700,893 | 841,507 | 83.29 | |
| Source: Direct Democracy | ||||||||
Additional questions[edit]
In several of the republics, additional questions were added to the ballot. In Russia, an additional question was asked on whether elective post of the president of the Russian SFSR should be created. In Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan the additional question was on the sovereignty of their republics as part of a new union.[2]
Kyrgyz SSR[edit]
In the Kyrgyz SSR, voters were also asked "Do you agree that the Republic of Kyrgyzstan should be in the renewed Union as a sovereign republic with equal rights?" It was approved by 62.2% of voters, although turnout was only 81.7%, compared to 92.9% in the Union-wide referendum.[16]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 62.2 | |
| Against | 37.8 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | – | |
| Total | 100 | |
| Source: Nohlen et al. | ||
Ukrainian SSR[edit]
In the Ukrainian SSR, voters were also asked "Do you agree that Ukraine should be part of a Union of Soviet sovereign states on the basis on the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine?"[17] The proposal was approved by 81.7% of voters.[17]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 25,224,687 | 81.7 |
| Against | 5,655,701 | 18.3 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 584,703 | – |
| Total | 31,465,091 | 100 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 37,689,767 | 83.5 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||
At the same time it was Referendum of Galicia (Галицкий Референдум). About leaving three regions of the USSR and the creation of independent state of Ukraine.
Uzbek SSR[edit]
In the Uzbek SSR, voters were also asked "Do you agree that Uzbekistan should remain part of a renewed Union (federation) as a sovereign republic with equal rights?" It was approved by 94.9% of voters, with a turnout of 95.5%.[1]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 94.9 | |
| Against | 5.1 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 1.1 | |
| Total | 9,824,304 | 100 |
| Source: Nohlen et al. | ||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p492 ISBN 0-19-924958-X
- ^ a b c Referendum of March 1991 Russian History Encyclopedia on Answers.com
- ^ Duffy-Toft, M (2003) The geography of ethnic violence: identity, interests, and the indivisibility of territory p98
- ^ (Russian) Chronicle of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict (1988-2008)
- ^ Historical Overview of the PMR (Transnistria, Transdniestr, Transdnestr, Pridnestrovie)
- ^ Understanding the Cold War: A Historian's Personal Reflections by Adam Bruno Ulam, Leopolis Press, 2000, ISBN 0-9679960-0-7 (page 353)
- ^ Russia and the World Economy: Problems of Integration by Alan H. Smith, Routledge, 1993, ISBN 0-415-08925-5 (page 1)
- ^ Referendum on the preservation of the USSR, RIA Novosti (2011)
- ^ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1647 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
- ^ Ukrainian Nationalism in the 1990s: A Minority Faith by Andrew Wilson, Cambridge University Press, 1996, ISBN 0-521-57457-9 (page 127)
- ^ "Chronology". 6 September 2012.
- ^ Об итогах референдума СССР, состоявшегося 17 марта 1991 года (Из сообщения Центральной комиссии референдума СССР) // Известия. — 1991. — 27 марта.
- ^ (Russian) Воля, которую мы потеряли... "Время" № 5. 16 марта 2001 года
- ^ (Russian)Сообщение Центральной комиссии референдума СССР об итогах референдума СССР, состоявшегося 17 марта 1991 года // Правда. — 1991. — 27 марта.
- ^ Referendum was held only in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
- ^ Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p443 ISBN 0-19-924958-X
- ^ a b Nohlen & Stöver, p1985
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- 1991 referendums
- 1991 in the Soviet Union
- Dissolution of the Soviet Union
- Referendums in Armenia
- Referendums in Azerbaijan
- Referendums in Belarus
- Referendums in Estonia
- Referendums in Georgia (country)
- Referendums in Kazakhstan
- Referendums in Kyrgyzstan
- Referendums in Latvia
- Referendums in Lithuania
- Referendums in Moldova
- Referendums in Russia
- Referendums in the Soviet Union
- Referendums in Tajikistan
- Referendums in Turkmenistan
- Referendums in Ukraine
- Referendums in Uzbekistan
- Perestroika
- 1991 elections in Ukraine
- Sovereignty referendums