Supreme Soviet


The Supreme Soviet was the common name for the legislative bodies of the Soviet socialist republics in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, established in 1938, and were nearly identical. Soviet-approved delegates to the Supreme Soviets were periodically elected in unopposed elections. The first free or semi-free elections took place during perestroika in late 1980s. The soviets until then were largely rubber-stamp institutions, approving decisions handed to them by the Communist Party of the USSR or of each SSR. The soviets met infrequently and elected the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, a permanent body, to act on their behalf while the soviet was not in session. Under the 1936 and 1977 Soviet Constitutions the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet served as the collective head of state of the USSR.
The Supreme Soviets also elected the Council of Ministers, an executive body. After the dissolution of the USSR in late December 1991, most of these soviets became the legislatures of independent countries.

Supreme Soviets of the Soviet Republics

Soviet RepublicSupreme SovietEstablishedDisbanded
Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR
Հայկական ՍՍՀ Գերագույն Խորհուրդ
19381995
Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR
Азәрбаjҹан ССР Али Совети
19381995
Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR
Вярхоўны Савет Беларускай ССР
19381991
Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR
Eesti NSV Ülemnõukogu
19401992
Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR
საქართველოს სსრ უმაღლესი საბჭო
19381992
Supreme Soviet of the Karelo-Finnish SSR
Верховный Совет Карело-Финской ССР
19401956
Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR
Қазақ КСР-нiң Жоғарғы Кеңесi
19371995
Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz SSR
Кыргыз ССР Жогорку Совети
19381993
Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR
Latvijas PSR Augstākā Padome
19401990
Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR
Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausioji Taryba
19401990
Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR
Совиетул Супрем ал РСС Молдовеняскэ
19411991
Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR
Верховный Совет РСФСР
19381993
Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR
Совети Олӣ РСС Тоҷикистон
19371994
TurkmenistanSupreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR
Түркменистан ССР Ёкары Советы
19381992
Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR
Верховна Рада Української РСР
19371991
Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR
Ўзбекистон ССР Олий Совети
19381991

Supreme Soviets of the Autonomous Soviet Republics