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All 1,443 seats in the Supreme Soviet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections to the Supreme Soviet were held in the Soviet Union on 18 March 1962.[1]
Electoral system
Candidates had to be nominated by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) or by a public organisation.[2] However, all public organisations were controlled by the party and were subservient to a 1931 law that required them to accept party rule.[2] The CPSU itself remained the only legal one in the country.[3]
Voters could vote against the CPSU candidate, but could only do so by using polling booths, whereas votes for the party could be cast simply by submitting a blank ballot.[2] Turnout was required to be over 50% for the election to be valid.[2]
Candidates
CPSU candidates accounted for around three quarters of the nominees, whilst many of the others were members of Komsomol.[4]
Results
Soviet of the Union
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communist Party of the Soviet Union | 139,210,431 | 99.47 | 604 | +41 | |
| Independents | 187 | +12 | |||
| Against | 746,563 | 0.53 | – | – | |
| Total | 139,956,994 | 100.00 | 791 | +53 | |
| Valid votes | 139,956,994 | 100.00 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 815 | 0.00 | |||
| Total votes | 139,957,809 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 140,022,359 | 99.95 | |||
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | |||||
Soviet of Nationalities
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communist Party of the Soviet Union | 139,391,455 | 99.60 | 490 | +5 | |
| Independents | 162 | +7 | |||
| Against | 565,648 | 0.40 | – | – | |
| Total | 139,957,103 | 100.00 | 652 | +12 | |
| Valid votes | 139,957,103 | 100.00 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 706 | 0.00 | |||
| Total votes | 139,957,809 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 140,022,359 | 99.95 | |||
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | |||||
