Soviet of Nationalities

one of the two chambers of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, elected by universal, equal, direct, and secret suffrage.

The Soviet of Nationalities is organized on the basis of equal representation, with 32 deputies from each Union republic, 11 from each autonomous republic, five from each autonomous oblast, and one from each autonomous okrug. Since the Supreme Soviet of the USSR—the highest body of state power—combines in itself representation of the entire population of the USSR and specific representation of the Union republics, autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts, and autonomous okrugs, it can, when considering problems affecting the USSR as a whole, take into account the special interests of the republics, oblasts, and okrugs with regard to the national features of their economies, cultures, and ways of life.

Both the Soviet of Nationalities and the Soviet of the Union enroll equal numbers of deputies and enjoy full equality. The Soviet of Nationalities elects a chairman, who presides over its sessions and supervises its internal procedure. It also elects four deputy chairmen and several permanent commissions: a mandate commission, a commission on draft legislation, a planning and budget commission, a foreign affairs commission, and a commission on women’s work and welfare and mother and child care. The other permanent commissions are commissions on youth, on industry, on transportation and communication, on construction and the building-materials industry, on agriculture, on consumer goods, on public health and social security, on environmental protection, on public education, science, and culture, and on trade, personal services, and municipal services (seeBICAMERAL SYSTEM).