orussian) Soviet Socialist Republic,
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic,
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic,
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic,
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic*,
Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova, Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic,
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic,
Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic; note--Russian Soviet Federative
Socialist Republic is often abbreviated RSFSR and Soviet Socialist
Republic is often abbreviated SSR; the parliaments in Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, and Lithuania have removed the
words Soviet Socialist from the names of their republics, but the central
government has not recognized those changes; the parliament in Kirghiziya
changed the name Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic to Republic of
Kyrgyzstan, but the central government has not recognized that change

_#_Independence: 30 December 1922 (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
established)

_#_Constitution: 7 October 1977

_#_Legal system: civil law system as modified by Communist legal
theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Great October Socialist Revolution,
7-8 November (1917)

_#_Executive branch: president

_#_Legislative branch: the Congress of People's Deputies (S'ezd
Narodnykh Deputatov) is the supreme organ of USSR state power and
selects the bicameral Supreme Soviet (Verkhovnyi Sovyet) which
consists of two coequal houses--Soviet of the Union (Soviet Soiuza)
and Soviet of Nationalities (Soviet Natsional'nostei)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court of the USSR

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Mikhail Sergeyevich GORBACHEV
(since 14 March 1990; former General Secretary of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party since 11 March 1985--resigned August 1991);

Head of Government--Prime Minister (vacant); Chairman of the
Committee for the Operational Management of the USSR National
Economy Ivan SILAYEV (since 24 August 1991)

_#_Political parties and leaders: nascent multiparty system

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held 14 March 1990 (next to be held NA 1995);
results--Mikhail Sergeyevich GORBACHEV was elected by the Congress of
People's Deputies;

Congress of People's Deputies--last held