elections

Home page » elections
|

PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — I. A. Kontsevoi. STRANGERS AMONG THEIR OWN: THE LEFT SOCIALIST REVOLUTIONARIES IN THE ELECTIONS TO THE ALL-RUSSIAN CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

The article examines the issue of a participation of the Left SRs in the elections of deputies to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly. Based on materials from the periodical press and archival documents, the election campaign of the Left Socialist Revolutionaries is examined and the main goals of the leaders of this political force are determined. The author shows that in Petrograd the tactics of the left wing of the Socialist Revolutionary Party during the elections consisted of agitating voters for the electoral lists of the Socialist Revolutionary party. This tactic allowed as many Left SR candidates as possible to become deputies of the Assembly. However, in some regions of Russia, the Left SRs put forward independent electoral lists or called on their electorate not to support the SR party. Wherever the Left SRs put forward their own lists, they failed to gain the support of a large number of voters. The election results for the Left Socialist Revolutionaries were unsuccessful, since this party was only just forming as an independent force, and in many regions of Russia its organizations were small. The article also analyzes the composition of the Left Socialist Revolutionary faction, which, according to the author’s calculations, was represented by 43 deputies, which amounted to 5.6 % of the total number of members of the Constituent Assembly. All Left SR deputies were elected from single lists of the SR Party or in coalition with the Ukrainian SRs. For the Left SRs, participation in the elections was an important step towards separating from the SR party and creating their own party identity.

PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — A. I. Rupasov. THE ELECTION OF PEOPLE’S JUDGES IN LENINGRAD IN 1950 AND 1953

The article analyzes the reasons for the procedural violations in the election of people’s judges in Leningrad in 1950 and 1953. In both cases, the election campaigns were repeatedly postponed, a practice that was no longer permitted from the mid‑1950s onward. As a result, the significant shortage of qualified legal personnel became even more severe. The postwar restoration and development of Leningrad led to an increase in citizens’ lawsuits filed with the courts (especially in civil cases). The improper conduct of judicial election campaigns, which consequently prevented the timely establishment of new judicial districts, had detrimental effects, including not only delays in court proceedings but also a considerable number of judicial errors. The procedural violations in the election of people’s judges were driven by political reasons: in 1950, due to the campaign to purge the party-administrative apparatus related to the so-called “Leningrad Affair”, and in 1953, the death of I. V. Stalin created a situation of uncertainty for the city leadership. In both instances, the city authorities had reason to exercise additional caution in selecting candidates for the position of people’s judge.

|

PHJ № 2 (34) 2022 — A. N. Chistikov. THE LENINGRAD REGIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE CPSU IN THE 1960S AND 1980S: ELECTIONS AND RESULTS

Based on published and unpublished documents, the paper analyses the process and results of elections to the Leningrad Regional Committee of the CPSU in the first half of 1960s and second half of 1970s. Relying on formal criteria proposed by Central Committee of VKP(b) in first post-war years, the author concludes about significant influence of formal approach in formation of governing party body of regional level. A degree of pre-determination increased from the first half of the 1960s to the turn of the 1970s and 1980s. In addition, a policy of quotas based on gender, job, professional, or social characteristics was put in place. At the same time, the authorities have had to respond to the demands of the times, which is reflected in particular in the clarification of educational and vocational criteria. The individual case leads to the general question: were some elements of such a policy specific to Soviet society or to the bureaucratic system of governance as a whole?