“MOSCOW (APN) — On Dec.
, the Soviet Union marks Soviet
onstitution Day. Adopted in
936, the Constitution of the
ISSR has legislatively confirmed
he principles of the Soviet social
ind state systems, of the structure
nd activity of various bodies of
= Soviet state, and the funda-
‘Mental rights and duties of the
‘Citizens of the USSR.

The Constitution of the Soviet
ion also confirms the political
undation’ of the USSR — the
oviets of Working People’s De-
ties, and its economic founda-
ion — the socialist economic sys-
sm and the socialist ownership of
he means of production. Socialist
roperty in the USSR exists
ther in the form of state property
belonging to the whole people) or
1the form of.cooperative and col-
€ctive farm property (the prop-
“erty of collective farms or
Cooperative societies).

A Federal State

From the point of view of a
tate structure, the USSR is a
federal state formed on the basis
‘of a voluntary union of 15 equal
Soviet Socialist Republics. Each
Inion Republic has its own con-
titution which takes into account
e specific features of the Repub-
and is drawn up in full confor-
nity with the Constitution of the
JSSR. The sovereignty of Union
epublics is limited only in those
pheres which are the compe-
ence of the USSR, represented
y it supreme organs of power.
Outside of these limits, each
Jnion ‘Republic exercises state
uthority independently. The
USSR protects the sovereign
“Tights of the Union Republics in-
luding the right to secede from
the USSR which is reserved for
each Union Republic.

- According to the Constitution
of the USSR, the legislative
“power of the USSR is exercised

xclusively by the Supreme
Soviet of the USSR which is
_ elected by secret ballot. Sixty-one

nationalities of the USSR and all

The Soviet Constitution says
that the highest executive and
administrative organ of state
power is the Council of Ministers
of the USSR which is formed by
the USSR Supreme Soviet and is
esponsible to it. Local organs of
tate power (in territories, reg-
ions, areas, districts, cities and
Tural localities) are the Soviets of
Working People’s Deputies that

Executive has announced.

and peoples.”’
Discussion at the Congress

cultural development of the

the Party Central Committee.

In its invitation to Canadian Communists to s
pate, the Vietnam Workers’ Party Central Commi
believe that through the presence at the National Congress of the
_ Vietnam Workers’ Party, the delegate of y
contribution to the further strengthening and dev
Tiendly relations and the militant solidarity between our two

report of the Central Committee; 2) Orient
Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the 5-Year

Plan (1976-80); 3) Report of changes in the Party mu

are elected for.a term of two
years.
Justice System

In the USSR justice is adminis-
tered by the Supreme Court of the
USSR, the Supreme Courts of the
Union Republics, the courts of
the territories, regions, autonom-
ous republics, autonomous Teg-
ions and areas and the people’s
courts, as well as by special
courts of the USSR, established
by decision of the Supreme
Soviet. Judicial proceedings are
conducted in the language of the
Union or Autonomous Republic,
or Autonomous Region. The
Constitution stipulates that
judges are independent and sub-
ject only to the law. Supreme
supervisory power to ensure the
strict observance of the law is ves-
ted in the Procurator-General of

the USSR.
Rights and Duties

The Constitution of the USSR
has proclaimed and legislatively
confirmed the democratic rights
and freedoms of the Soviet citi-
zens: the right to work; to rest and
leisure; to maintenance in old age
and in sickness or disability; the
right to education; equality of
rights of citizens of the USSR, ir-
respective of sex, nationality or
race; freedom of speech, of the
press, or assembly and street pro-
cessions and demonstrations;
freedom of uniting working
people in mass organizations
and societies and freedom of
conscience.

In proclaiming equal rights to
all citizens, the Constitution of
the USSR~has placed on them
equal duties: to abide by the Con-

stitution, to observe the laws, to
safeguard and’ fortify public
socialist property as the sacred
and inviolable foundation of the
Soviet system. Universal military
service is law. . F
The Constitution of the USSR
has defined the coat-of-arms and
the flag of the country and that the
capital of the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics is the city of
Moscow. Amendments to. the
Constitution of the USSR can be
made only by decision of the
USSR Supreme Soviet.
Socialist Democracy
At present a draft of anew Con-
stitution of the USSR is being

prepared. It will not only reflect l bm
>

the changes that have taken place
in Soviet society in the past few
decades, but will also emphasize
the humanistic character of the
socialist state that has set itself
the aim of building communism in
the name and the interests of the
entire people. Bye ‘
Addressing the 25th CPSU
Congress Leonid Brezhnev, gen-
eral secretary of the CPSU Cent-
ral Committee, said: ‘‘. . . genuine
democracy is impossible without
socialism, and . . . socialism is im-
possible without a steady de-
velopment of democracy. We see
the improvement of our socialist
democracy as consisting above all
in a steady effort to ensure ever-
fuller participation by the working
people in running all the affairs of
society, in further developing the
democratic principles of our state
system, and in creating the con-
ditions for the all-round
flourishing of the individual.”

Peace Council protests
imprisonment of Seregni

LIBER SEREGNI

Kashtan goes to Hanoi

The 4th National Congress of the Vietnam Workers’ Party will be
convened in Hanoi, December 14-20, wit
number of Communist and Workers’ Parties aroun

William Kashtan, general secretary of the Communist Party of
Canada will represent the CPC at the Congress,

h fraternal delegates from a
d the world.

the CPC Central

end a fraternal dele-
ttee said: ‘‘We firmly

our party will make a new
elopment of the
Parties

will cover four main points: 1) Political

ation for the economic and

les; 4) Election of

Se Hb Git ih Bui

(hy
VG

The World Peace Council has
appealed to world public opififon
to mark the 60th birthday of
Uruguayan anti-fascist fighter,
General Liber Seregni, on Dec. 13
with a renewed effort to win his
freedom.

Seregni, president of the
Uruguayan Broad Front (Frente
Amplio) has been imprisoned by
the fascist dictatorship for the
second time since the coup d’état
on June 27, 1973. He is the victim
of ill treatment by a brutal regime
which has been condemned for its
repression by many world bodies.

The Uruguayan government’s
‘record of violating human rights
was most recently exposed
through evidence presented at the
First Session of the International
Commission of Inquiry into the
Violations of Human Rights, held
in September 1976 in Basel, Swit-
zerland.

The World Peace Council has
called on all peace committees in
the world, and on all national and -
international organizations to
send protest telegrams addressed

“to the Uruguayan Government,

and-also, to send General Liber
Seregni their congratulations on
occasion of his 60th birthday.
Protest messages can be sent to
any of the following addresses:
Presidencia de la Republica O. del
Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay;
Suprema Corte de Justicia, Mon-
tevideo, Uruguay.
Congratulation message to:
General Liber Seregni, Jefatura
de Policia, Calle San José y Yi,
Montevideo, Uruguay.

(sou f 22 3WV OE 2sol GO DIY
\

PHOTO — BAIL

NEW YORK —A picketline, called’by the South African Freedom Day
Coalition, protests Citibank’s pending $150-rillion loan to the apartheid
regime in South Africa. The demonstrators handed out leaflets urging
bank customers to switch their accounts if Citibank goes through with

the loan.
GIANT SHARE OF BRITAIN FOR U.S. CORPORATIONS
LONDON — U.S. penetration into Britain’s manufacturing indus-
try is now so deep that in some areas of the north-west every other
worker has an American boss, says a report just published by ateam at
the University of Manchester. It reveals that one in every 14 workers in
private manufacturing in the United Kingdom is employed by U.S.-
owned firms and the UK as a whole is second only to Canada as the
country with the largest share of U.S. foreign direct investment.

ISRAELI COMMUNISTS TO HOLD 18TH CONGRESS
TEL AVIV — The 18th Congress of the Communist Party of Israel
will open here on Dec. 15. Speaking at a press conference last week,
CPI general secretary Meir Vilner and Tawfiq Toubi, member of the
CPI political bureau, said establishment of a broad front for peace will
be one of the main topics to be discussed. The CPI earlier issued a
statement denouncing the Israeli military build-up on the Lebanese

border...

OVER 15 MILLION UNEMPLOYED IN OECD COUNTRIES —
VIENNA — There are over 15 milllion jobless in the countries of the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it
was revealed here last week. Alfred Dallinger, head of the Austrian

Trade Union of Private Industry Workers, said the countries compris-

ing the OECD, which includes Canada, the U.S., Australia and the

most advanced Western European states, are facing a serious crisis |
which. is causing growing concern. He said that 40% of the 15 million —

unemployed are in the under-25 age group.

’ PARAGUAY RESISTANCE GROWING DESPITE TERROR
BUDAPEST — ‘‘There is almost no family in Paraguay which has

‘not had at least one member tossed in prison over the past 22 years,”

charged a leading member of the Paraguayan Communist Party ina
press interview here Nov. 21. Since the pro-U.S. coup in 1954 led by
General Alfredo Stroessner, this land-locked South American country
has been marked by mass repression which is still growing in intensity.

Despite this, said the PCP leader, a broad front opposing the dictator- _

ship is developing.

CUBANA AIRLINE CRASH CAUSED BY SABOTAGE
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — A nitroglycerine bomb caused the
crash of Cubana flight CUT-1201, according to a British expert hired
by the government of Barbados as part of its inquiry into the crash
which took 73 lives. The expert, Eric Newton said the probable centre
of the explosion took place in the baggage compartment in the tail of the.

airliner.

NEW ECONOMIC PLANS FOR ANGOLAN FORESTS

LUANDA — The Angolan government will turn the former Com-
pania de Cabinda, which exploited the forest and agricultural riches of
that region since 1903, into a Provincial Agriculture Office. One of the
aims of the new agency will be to develop large-scale farming, to
recover the coffee and cacao plantations and to foster a poultry plan.
Along with changing the company’s activities to benefit Cabinda, the
Angolan government is working on organizing the 4,500. wage-earners
of the firm whose name will be kept for legal reasons.

JAPAN’S CONSERVATIVES LOOSE MAJORITY ~

TOKYO — For the first time in its 21-year history the pro-U.S.
Liberal Democratic Party was denied a majority in Japan’s parliament.
At the same time, the voters on Dec. 5 gave the Socialist Party 11 new
seats for a total of 123 seats in the Lower House. The Socialists also
provide leadership for the 4.5 million member General Confederation
of Labor, Sohyo, Japan’s biggest trade union center. The Communists
dropped from 39 seats to 17 in the Lower House, due mainly to
anti-Sovietism and lack of left unity. 2

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—DECEMBER 17, 1976—Page 11

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