1937 Soviet Union legislative election

Supreme Soviet elections were held in the Soviet Union on 12 December 1937.^[1] It was the first election held under the 1936 Soviet Constitution, which had formed the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union to replace the old legislature, the Congress of Soviets of the Soviet Union.

1937 Soviet Union legislative election

← 1936 12 December 1937 1946 →

Soviet of the Union

All 569 seats in the Soviet of the Union

Party Seats All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) 461 Independents 108 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

Soviet of Nationalities

All 574 seats in the Soviet of Nationalities

Party Seats All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) 409 Independents 165 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. Chairman of the Council of Ministers before Chairman of the Council of Ministers after Vyacheslav Molotov CPSU Vyacheslav Molotov CPSU

Electoral system

The elections were originally announced as being multi-candidate; however, by halfway through the year the announcement was reversed due to the leadership worrying about the possible emergence of political opposition.^[2] However, during that early period a number of individuals attempted to hold the government to the multi-candidate promise, including members of the Russian Orthodox Church who attempted to field religious candidates as a result of Article 124^[3] of the new constitution, which promised freedom of religion. Many of the early individuals attempting to run as alternate candidates were arrested after the decision for multiple candidates was reversed. Additionally, the NKVD conducted mass arrests shortly before the elections.^[4]

Conduct

Despite the mass arrests and with the tone more subdued than with elections held in 1929, there were still minor waves of dissent and opposition to candidates, especially major political figures (including Mikhail Kalinin, Anastas Mikoyan, and even Joseph Stalin himself) as well as celebrities (such as Aleksei Tolstoy) and candidates opposed on the basis of ethnicity (such as ethnic Russians running in the Ukrainian SSR).^[4]

Results

Soviet of the Union

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
	BKB		All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)	89,844,271	99.30	461
			Independents			108
Against				632,074	0.70	–
Total				90,476,345	100.00	569
Valid votes				90,476,345	99.30
Invalid/blank votes				636,808	0.70
Total votes				91,113,153	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				94,138,159	96.79
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Soviet of Nationalities

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
	BKB		All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)	89,063,169	99.37	409
			Independents			165
Against				562,402	0.63	–
Total				89,625,571	100.00	574
Valid votes				89,625,571	98.37
Invalid/blank votes				1,487,582	1.63
Total votes				91,113,153	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				94,138,159	96.79
Source: Nohlen & Stöver