Special Supplement

Such a situation gravely affected the
activity of the CPSU Central
Committee, the government, local
Party organizations, and all
Communists. Party bodies increasingly
tackled current economic and
administrative management problems,
substituting for the Soviets and other
State bodies. This had a negative
impact on the implementation of the
Party’s basic functions, weakened its
political and ideological influence, and
sharpened many social development
problems.

The Party had the courage to
critically examine the situation. It has
launched restructuring and is step by
step transforming itself and inner-Party
life. One of the most urgent tasks is to
establish such political mechanisms and
guarantees that would rule out in the
future possibilities for violating the
Leninist principles of Party leadership
in society.

Taking account of the views
expressed at Party meetings, in work
collectives and in the press, the CPSU
Central Committee believes it expedient
to consider the following suggestions
during the Conference.

One of the most urgent
tasks is to establish

such political mechanisms
and guarantees that would
rule out in the future
Possibilities for violating

the Leninist principles

of Party leadership in :
society.

To restore in full measure the
Leninist understanding of the principle
of democratic centralism in accordance
with which freedom of debate should
be ensured at the stage when issues are
discussed and concerted action ensured
after a decision has been passed by a
majority.

To proceed in the relationship
between the Party and the state from
the Leninist principles of a precise
delimitation of their functions. All
Party organizations should act in
compliance with the Constitution of the
USSR and with Soviet laws. Party
committees should not pass resolutions
addressing direct instructions to state
and economic bodies, or to public
organizations. The CPSU shall steer its
political course via Communists
working in bodies of state authority in
all spheres of society’s life.

Proceeding from the tasks of the
CPSU as the political vanguard and
from deep-running changes in society,
the activities of primary Party
organizations should be restructured
radically. While remaining the political
nucleus of each collective, they should
not supplant work collectives and their
bodies in the discharge of the functions
provided for under the Law on the
State Enterprise, the Law on Co-
operation and other legislative acts.
Acting primarily via Communists and
working in the midst of the people,
Party. organizations should ensure that
every work collective copes in full with
the functions entrusted to it, and
exercises its democratic rights.

The role of Party meetings, Party
committees and every Communist in
implementing the decisions of the Party
should be reconsidered from that
viewpoint. The atmosphere of
openness, debate, criticism and self-

discipline, collectivity and personal
responsibility should be restored in full
measure. Current developments in the
life of Party organizations are
proceeding precisely in this direction.
They should be supported and
developed in every way.

Questions of the qualitative
composition of the Party ranks and the
performance by Communists of their
vanguard role are being widely
discussed in the Party and society. In
this connection the view is expressed
that the practice of regulating the
growth of Party ranks by “order” runs
counter to real requirements of the
development of the Party itself and of
all society.

The common view is that demands
on those joining the Party should be
made decisively more exacting so that
really worthy people with superior
political, moral and business qualities,
convinced fighters for the program
goals of the Party, can join its ranks.
The opinion of the work collective
concerned absolutely must be taken
into consideration.

To consider during the conference
the expediency of conducting in the
period before the next CPSU Congress
the discussion of the social and political
posture of every Communist, this being
an effective means for self-purification
and for making the Party stronger. The
discussion of Communists’ work at
open meetings of Party organizations
shall promote activity by them and a
personal contribution to the life of their
collective and to the cause of
perestroika.

In the light of the experience
accumulated since the January (1987)
Plenum of the CPSU Central
Committee; changes should be made in
the procedure of forming elected Party
bodies. Genuine competition, wide-
scale discussion of candidates and
voting by secret ballot should become a
norm. What matters here is not the
post one occupies, but one’s
ideological, moral and business
qualities; one’s political authority and
one’s active stance in advancing
perestroika. During the elections to all
Party committees Communists shall
have the right to nominate a number of
candidates exceeding that of the
committee membership.

Party Democracy

uch a procedure
of nomination,
discussion and
election of Party
committee
members and
secretaries could
be applied to the
process of

- forming Party bodies from the level of

District and City Party Committees to
the Central Committees of the Parties
of the Union Republics and at the
CPSU Central Committee level.

All Party committees starting at the
District and City level shall be elected
for a standard term of five years.
Simultaneously a Communist shall not
hold an elected post in the CPSU for
more than two terms in a row. Election
for a third term in a row shall be
possible only on the initiative of °
Communists and shall require a
preliminary decision on admission to
the elections. Such a decision shall be
passed by no less than three-fourths of
the membership of the Party committee
concerned. Voting shall be by secret

Special responsibility in affirming the
Party as the political vanguard rests
with the CPSU Central Committee. It
should develop and consolidate in
every way the principles of collective
leadership in its work so that all
members of the Central Committee can
participate in deciding principal
questions related to the political course
of the Party on a basis of wide-scale
discussion. The conference is to
consider possible suggestions
concerning new forms of collective
work of the Central Committee
members between Plenums. All this
should eventually be directed toward
enhancing the role of the Party’s
Central Committee:

© To provide for the possibility for a
partial replacement of Central
Committee members between
Congresses and assure a continuing
inflow of fresh forces. Decisions on this
score should be made by a qualified
majority. Voting should be by secret
ballot.

© To introduce the necessary
structural and personnel changes in the
Party with due account of the Party’s
growing role as the political vanguard
and with due account of delimiting the
functions of Party committees from
those of state and economic bodies.

The principle of strict subordination
and accountability of Party
functionaries to elected Party bodies
should be followed, while bureaucracy,
Communist conceit and unwarranted
secrecy in Party life should be fought
decisively.

The Party’s personnel policy
demands serious renewal in the
conditions of democratization. A
formal approach to the selection and
distribution of cadres is becoming
outdated. The organization of cadre
training and retraining, cadre education
and the recommendation of both
Communists and non-Party people for
ranking posts should become the
principal method of work of Party
committees. Election results should
determine the final settlement of
personnel questions.

It is expedient to consider during the
conference the question of improving
control and auditing work in the Party.
At present the Party has the Central
Auditing Commission of the CPSU
and the Party Control Committee
attached to the CPSU Central
Committee. The suggestion is made
that there should be one body in the
future which should be elected by the
Party Congress to oversee the
compliance of Communists with the
demands of Party discipline and of the
CPSU rules and monitor the financial

criticism, Party comradeship and ballot. and economic activity of Party bodies.

10 e Pacific Tribune, June 22, 1988

Mikhail Gorbachev talking with workers at the Likhachov auto plant in Moscow.

All these proposals should be
directed toward a consistent observance
of the democratic principles of Party
life, enhance the spirited character of
the Party and its ability to lead the
process of revolutionary renewal of
Soviet society and set the pace of
perestroika.

Work of Soviets

he main
guideline for
making our
society and state
more democratic
is restoration in
full measure of
the role and
powers of the
Soviets of People’s Deputies as
plenipotentiary bodies of popular
representation.

Lenin discovered in the Soviets, born
of the experience of the revolutions in
Russia, a political form according with
the nature of socialism. Being
representative bodies of power and
organizations with a mass public
membership, the Soviets organically
combine the principles of statehood
and self-government. Having an
immense democratic potential, they
have demonstrated their viability and
corroborated the correctness of Lenin’s
discovery.

At the same time we notice serious
shortcomings in the work of the Soviets
and the dissatisfaction of the working
people with their performance. As a
result of known deformations, the
rights and powers of the representative
bodies have been curtailed and they
remain under the unwarranted tutelage
of Party committees. In many cases
Ministries and departments decide
matters of economic and social
development over their heads. Not
infrequently Executive Committees and
officials employed by them usurp
functions of the Soviets, while Deputies
are left to sanction pre-looked
decisions. It is vital to change this
situation radically and reinstate the
Soviets in their real governing powers
by turning over to them all specific
questions of state, economic, social and
cultural life for consideration and
decision.

Material and financial possibilities of
local Soviets should be substantially
broadened. It is important to ensure
the formation of local budgets on the
basis of long-term norms with
emphasis made primarily on
augmenting budget receipts of local
Soviets from enterprises and economic

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