ion and acceptance of new members.
Qualifications of candidates had to be checked thoroughly, and only
those qualified could be accepted. Education as the main criterion of
selection was emphasized among target groups of workers, peasants,
specialists, women, and young people. As a result of this improved
recruitment procedure, the new members after the congress were 44.3
percent blue-collar workers and 32 percent women. Of this group, it was
estimated that 60.4 percent had at least a secondary education.

It was reported by the Secretariat that district (_okrug_) party
committees after the Ninth Party Congress showed improvement in
"content, style and methods of their work," and that they understood
better the political approach in guiding local economic tasks as well as
leading primary party organs in the political and organization work of
their constituencies. Furthermore, over 77 percent of full-time
secretaries of local party committees and about 90 percent of chairmen
of cooperative farms had higher or secondary education. Formal training
as well as in-service education was given serious attention. Educational
training for party members includes two-year university courses, short
courses, seminars, informal meetings, and conferences of local party
committees.

Statistics reported in 1971 showed that 25.2 percent of about 700,000
members of the BKP were women. Increasingly more important positions
were assigned to women in the party hierarchy. In the same period (1971)
there was a woman member of the Politburo, several women members of the
Central Committee, and two women ministers. Not only were women active
in party activities, but they could also be found in boards of
management of government enterprises.

Party Congresses

Party statutes formerly stipulated that congresses would be held every
four years, but a decision was made to extend the interval to five years
after the Communist Party of the Soviet Union had made the same change.
Decisions of the congresses appear as party statutes that usually
reflect the desires of the leadership and the circumstances that
necessitated the additions, deletions, or amendments to already existing
statutes. The most important innovations embodied in BKP statutes
emerged from congresses beginning with the Sixth Party Congress, held in
1954, and continuing through the Tenth Party Congress, held in 1971.

The Sixth Party Congress abolished the position of general secret