Do you consider it necessary to preserve the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics, in which the rights and freedoms of a person of any nationality will be fully guaranteed?
Results
Choice
Votes
%
Yes
113,512,812
77.85%
No
32,303,977
22.15%
Valid votes
145,816,789
98.14%
Invalid or blank votes
2,757,817
1.86%
Total votes
148,574,606
100.00%
Registered voters/turnout
185,647,355
80.03%
Results by republic
95-100% Yes
90-95% Yes
85-90% Yes
80-85% Yes
75-80% Yes
70-75% Yes
Not participating
Voting bulletin
A referendum on the future of the Soviet Union was held on 17 March 1991 across the Soviet Union. It was the only national referendum in the history of the Soviet Union,[1] although it was boycotted by authorities in six of the fifteen Soviet republics.
The referendum asked whether to approve a new Union Treaty between the republics, to replace the 1922 treaty that created the USSR. The question put to most 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 ethnicity will be fully guaranteed?[2]
In Kazakhstan, the wording of the referendum was changed by substituting "equal sovereign states" for "equal sovereign republics".[3]
In Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Kirghizia additional questions were asked about sovereignty and independence of these republics.
While the vote was boycotted by the authorities in Armenia, Estonia, Georgia (though not in the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia),[4] Latvia, Lithuania, and Moldova (though not in Transnistria and Gagauzia),[5] turnout was 80% across the rest of the Soviet Union.[3]
The referendum's question was approved by nearly 80% of voters in all nine other republics that took part.[6] However, the August coup attempt by hardliners of the Communist Party prevented the anticipated signing of the New Union Treaty that was due to take place the next day. Although it failed, the coup attempt reduced confidence in Gorbachev's central government. It was followed by a series of referendums for independence in individual republics and led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union on 26 December 1991.[7]
^Ziętara, Wojciech (2018), Marczewska-Rytko, Maria (ed.), "Direct Democracy in Russia", Handbook of Direct Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989 (1 ed.), Verlag Barbara Budrich, pp. 242–259, doi:10.2307/j.ctvddzwx6.20, ISBN 978-3-8474-2122-1, JSTOR j.ctvddzwx6.20, archived from the original on 24 January 2023, retrieved 19 December 2022
^Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I, p492 ISBN 0-19-924958-X
^ abReferendum of March 1991 Archived 2 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Russian History Encyclopedia on Answers.com
^(in Russian) Chronicle of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict (1988-2008) Archived 31 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^Historical Overview of the PMR (Transnistria, Transdniestr, Transdnestr, Pridnestrovie) Archived 22 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^Understanding the Cold War: A Historian's Personal Reflections Archived 24 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine by Adam Bruno Ulam, Leopolis Press, 2000, ISBN 0-9679960-0-7 (page 353)
^Russia and the World Economy: Problems of Integration Archived 24 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine by Alan H. Smith, Routledge, 1993, ISBN 0-415-08925-5 (page 1)
and 27 Related for: 1991 Soviet Union referendum information
A referendum on the future of the SovietUnion was held on 17 March 1991 across the SovietUnion. It was the only national referendum in the history of...
across Ukraine in favour of independence from the SovietUnion, and a "Yes" vote in the referendum. Leonid Kravchuk, the parliament chairman and de facto...
A referendum on autonomy was held in the Crimean Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR on 20 January 1991, two months before the 1991 All-Unionreferendum. Voters...
The 1991Soviet coup d'état attempt, also known as the August Coup, was a failed attempt by hardliners of the SovietUnion's Communist Party to forcibly...
referendum was held in the Ukrainian SSR on 17 March 1991 as part of a USSR-wide referendum. Voters were asked two questions on reforming the Soviet Union...
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was dissolved on 26 December 1991 by Declaration № 142-Н of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme...
An independence referendum was held in the Armenia SSR on 21 September 1991 to determine whether to secede from the SovietUnion. It followed a declaration...
The Soviet of the Union (Russian: Сове́т Сою́за, Sovet Soyuza) was the lower chamber of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics...
An independence referendum was held in Lithuania on 9 February 1991, eleven months after independence from the SovietUnion had been declared on 11 March...
Republic of Estonia?" 1991 Latvian independence and democracy referendum1991 Lithuanian independence referendum1991SovietUnionreferendum Dieter Nohlen &...
An independence referendum was held in Azerbaijan on 29 December 1991, three days after the collapse of the SovietUnion. The result was 99.8% in favour...
administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The SovietUnion was formed in 1922 by a treaty between the Soviet republics of Byelorussia...
to salvage and reform the SovietUnion. A ceremony of the Russian SFSR signing the treaty was scheduled for 20 August 1991, but was prevented by the August...
the vote. An independence referendum held on the same day saw 92 percent of voters voting to secede from the SovietUnion. All six presidential candidates...
Khakassia) were all promoted in status to that of an ASSR in 1991, in the last year of the SovietUnion. Only the Jewish Autonomous Oblast retained its autonomous...
boycotted the all-Unionreferendum on continued federation and the negotiations on a new union treaty on 17 March, Georgia became the fourth Soviet republic,...
August 1991. 1991 Estonian independence referendum1991 Lithuanian independence referendum1991SovietUnionreferendum Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010)...
During the existence of the SovietUnion, different governments existed within the Crimean Peninsula. From 1921 to 1936, the government in the Crimea was...
(Президент СССР), was the head of state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 15 March 1990 to 25 December 1991. Mikhail Gorbachev was the only person...
Autonomous oblasts of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were administrative units created for a number of smaller nations, which were given autonomy...
Soviet Union after a transition period. However, Gorbachev's growing attempts to preserve the SovietUnion through the 1991SovietUnionreferendum made...
A referendum on the New Union Treaty was held in Abkhazia on 17 March 1991, as part of the wider Sovietreferendum. The treaty was approved by 99.06% of...
An independence referendum was held in the Turkmen SSR on 26 October 1991. The policies of demokratizatsiya and perestroika as enacted by Mikhail Gorbachev...
subsequently declared on 31 August, and the SovietUnion ceased to exist on 26 December 1991, three days before the referendum. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof...
referendum on creating the post of President of Russia was held in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on 17 March 1991. The referendum was...
Global Information
