Few people in modern political history received such lifetime fame and at the same time was subjected to such sharp attacks and ridicule as a man with the simple Russian surname Gorbachev - “Gorbi”, as he was somewhat familiarly, but with obvious sympathy, nicknamed in the West.

This man has enough titles and awards, his biography is on different languages occupy an entire shelf, and over time, undoubtedly, more than one feature film will be made about him - his zigzags are too contradictory political career. Not a single decision made by him during his years in power was unambiguous, be it an anti-alcohol legislative decision or He held a wide variety of positions, but if you choose the most “exclusive” of them, it sounds like this: First President of the USSR. The uniqueness of this position is that it existed for a very short time, less than two years, and then disappeared into history along with the state itself, the Soviet Union.

The first President of the USSR was elected in March 1990 at the third (I note, extraordinary!) Congress of People's Deputies, which at that time served as the highest body state power. In the USSR, there had never before been a political post called "president of the country." In this regard, it is interesting to remember that the hierarchy of the Soviet state was strikingly different from the generally accepted system in the world; this created a lot of sensitive problems in diplomatic communication. To whom, for example, should congratulations be addressed on the occasion of the main national holiday?

All over the world, the president of a state writes to the president of another country, the prime minister - to his colleague, but what to do in the case of It is clear that the most influential person in the USSR is not the chairman of the Council of Ministers, but the General Secretary, but this is a party member, not a state one fast...

With some stretch, the President of the country could be called the Chairman, that is, the head of the highest legislative body of the Soviet state. The first President of the USSR, Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, held this position until his election to the post, which now allowed him to consider even the most implacable anti-communist, for example, the President of the United States of America Ronald Reagan, as his colleague.

It is M. Gorbachev and R. Reagan who are considered the creators of the new world order, ending the era forever. The name of the last President of the USSR did not leave the pages of the most respectable newspapers and magazines, glorifying him as a politician who managed to make our planet safer for living. Nobel Prize peace - the most significant evidence of recognition of M. Gorbachev’s merits in this field.

However, the first, and also the last, President of the USSR in his country was often awarded completely different epithets - such as destroyer, traitor, desecrator and others. Some of these accusations may be true, but for the most part they are not. Last word in any case, it will remain with History, but for now the name of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev alone still has a not very strong effect on some smart people as a strong irritant.

But he has long been accustomed to this and does not pay attention to the streams of accusations and outright slander - that’s why he and Mikhail Gorbachev, the one-of-a-kind first President of the USSR!

At the level of the USSR, this issue was resolved in March 1990. The III Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR adopted USSR Law No. 1360-1 of March 14, 1990 “On the establishment of the post of President of the USSR and the introduction of amendments and additions to the Constitution (Basic Law) of the USSR.” According to the amended Constitution (Article 127), Chapter Soviet state became President of the USSR. A USSR citizen no younger than 35 and no older than 65 could be elected. The same person could not serve as President of the USSR for more than two consecutive terms. The Constitution of the USSR provided for the election of the President of the USSR by citizens, that is, direct elections. However, the election of the first President of the USSR (who also turned out to be the last) in accordance with the Law of March 14, 1990 took place at the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR.

In fact, a course was taken to change the form of government - the transition to a presidential republic. Later, the institution of the President was introduced in a number of former Soviet republics, for example, in Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Uzbekistan. The institution of the President of the USSR was also provided for in the Treaty on the Union of Sovereign States. Several of his projects were published in periodicals. The final text of the Treaty was agreed on July 23, 1991. Its signing was scheduled for the end of August 1991. In the draft Treaty, the President of the USSR was interpreted as the head of the union state, possessing the highest executive and administrative power. But the events of August 19-20, 1991, i.e. The speech of the State Emergency Committee and the associated political crisis did not allow these hopes to come true. The signing of the agreement on the creation of the CIS led to the abolition of the post of President of the USSR.

What were the reasons for the introduction of the post of President of the USSR? Firstly, the democratization of the country's leadership processes demonstrated the inability of parliament and the government to make operational decisions and quickly implement them, and therefore it was necessary to have one head of state who would be responsible for current affairs. Secondly, in the conditions of the formation of the system of separation of powers at that historical period, the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR and, especially, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, which worked on a permanent basis, assigned an almost indisputable right to resolve any issues. Thirdly, in the absence of a parliamentary majority of one party, or an alliance of several parties in Parliament, the President would objectively be forced to take on the function of forming the government and directing its work, since conflicting parties could simply paralyze the functioning of the highest body executive branch. Fourthly, in the process of forming ideological pluralism and abandoning political monism, post Secretary General The Central Committee of the CPSU mattered little, and the leadership of the CPSU did not want to limit its powers. The introduction of the post of President of the USSR was considered by a significant part of party functionaries as a way to maintain the influence of the party in the changed socio-political and socio-economic conditions of the country.

Thus, the presidency provided the opportunity for former party leaders at the level of the Union and union (as well as autonomous) republics not only to maintain themselves in power, but also to fight the omnipotence of the party, and if they saw the party as a threat to their power, as, for example, in the RSFSR , ban it altogether.

The Third Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR elected Mikhail Gorbachev as President of the Soviet Union on March 15, 1990. This event was preceded by three days active work and heated discussions. The deputies, not without resistance, immediately adopted two revolutionary amendments to the constitution: they introduced the post of president and abolished the famous 6th article - on the leading and guiding role of the CPSU.

For what

The topic of the possible introduction of the post of president appeared in the press in December 1989, but only at the level of discussion.

In January 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev was completely crushed by economic problems and opposition protests in Lithuania and Azerbaijan. There was a feeling that if it weren’t for the Politburo, it would have been possible to act bolder and more decisively, to look for and apply new approaches. “The Architect of Perestroika” and Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Alexander Yakovlev supported Gorbachev and proposed to convene a Congress of People’s Deputies in the near future and organize presidential elections. Gorbachev agreed.

The idea was announced at a session of the Supreme Council in mid-February and provoked a storm of criticism. The official explanation “in order to improve interaction between the highest bodies of state power and administration of the USSR” did not convince anyone, because the Secretary General already had enough power.

Over time, historians came to the conclusion that the reason was Gorbachev’s desire to weaken his dependence on the CPSU Central Committee, which could dismiss him at any time, as he did with Khrushchev.

The deputies protested, but nevertheless voted on February 27 to convene an extraordinary congress of people's deputies.

Urgent indirect elections

The congress opened on March 12. Some deputies welcomed the new amendments: for example, Nursultan Nazarbayev saw presidential power as “an important guarantee of the unity of our federation.” Others protested and warned that perestroika would bog down the presidency. Co-chairman of the Interregional Deputy Group Yuri Afanasyev convinced his colleagues: “An attempt to hastily introduce the post of president here, at the congress, is a gross, grave political mistake that will greatly aggravate our difficulties, anxieties and fears.”

Nevertheless, the constitutional amendment that introduced the post of president was adopted. It provided for the election to this post of a citizen of the USSR aged 35 to 65 years by direct voting. But for the first time they decided to make an exception and elect the first president right at the congress.

© Sputnik / Leonid Palladin

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev in the presidium of the Extraordinary III Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR

On March 14, the nomination of candidates took place. In addition to Gorbachev, the names of Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov and Minister of Internal Affairs Vadim Bakatin were mentioned, but they recused themselves. The secret voting began in the evening and was noticeably delayed. Its results became known only the next morning.

Two thousand deputies were present at the congress. 1,329 people voted for Gorbachev, that is, more than 59%.

After the results were announced, the first president of the USSR came to the podium and swore allegiance to the peoples, promised to follow the constitution and guarantee rights and freedoms.

Miscalculated

The presidential post and relative independence from the Central Committee did not become a salvation, but, on the contrary, aggravated the situation. Everyone expected decisive steps from Gorbachev: conservatives that he would finally restore order, liberals that real reforms would now begin. But there were no steps. There was disappointment, and widespread disappointment. Gorbachev's rating began to fall rapidly.

In 1990, the parade of sovereignties continued. One after another, the former Soviet republics adopted declarations of independence. As a result, a year later the question arose about a new format of relations between the union and republican authorities. Long and very emotional consultations began.

Then there was the August putsch and social problems. All this further weakened the president's position.

© Sputnik / Fedoseev

White House Defenders in August 1991

“The country found itself in queues. Governance and the normal functioning of the state were being destroyed before our eyes. But even after the Belovezhskaya Agreement, I opposed the collapse of the Union, I said that three people cannot close an entire state and get rid of it with one decision,” he said five years later after the putsch Gorbachev.

On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev was forced to resign due to the virtual absence of the country of which he was president. The post of President of the USSR lasted 660 days.

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was elected President of the USSR on March 15, 1990 at the III Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR.
December 25, 1991, in connection with the cessation of the existence of the USSR as public education, M.S. Gorbachev announced his resignation from the post of President and signed a Decree on the transfer of control to strategic nuclear weapons Russian President Yeltsin.

On December 25, after Gorbachev’s announcement of resignation, the red state flag of the USSR was lowered in the Kremlin and the flag of the RSFSR was raised. The first and last President of the USSR left the Kremlin forever.

The first president of Russia, then still the RSFSR, Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin was elected on June 12, 1991 by popular vote. B.N. Yeltsin won in the first round (57.3% of the votes).

In connection with the expiration of the term of office of the President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin and in accordance with the transitional provisions of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, elections for the President of Russia were scheduled for June 16, 1996. This was the only presidential election in Russia where two rounds were required to determine the winner. The elections took place from June 16 to July 3 and were distinguished by intense competition between candidates. The main competitors were considered the current President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin and the leader of the Communist Party Russian Federation G. A. Zyuganov. According to the election results, B.N. Yeltsin received 40.2 million votes (53.82 percent), significantly ahead of G.A. Zyuganov, who received 30.1 million votes (40.31 percent). 3.6 million Russians (4.82%) voted against both candidates .

December 31, 1999 at 12:00 pm Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin voluntarily ceased to exercise the powers of the President of the Russian Federation and transferred the powers of the President to the Chairman of the Government, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. On April 5, 2000, the first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, was awarded pensioner and labor veteran certificates.

December 31, 1999 Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin became acting president of the Russian Federation.

In accordance with the Constitution, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation set the date for holding extraordinary presidential elections March 26, 2000.

On March 26, 2000, 68.74 percent of voters included in the voting lists, or 75,181,071 people, took part in the elections. Vladimir Putin received 39,740,434 votes, which amounted to 52.94 percent, that is, more than half of the votes. On April 5, 2000, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation decided to recognize the presidential elections of the Russian Federation as valid and valid, and to consider Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin elected to the post of President of Russia.

On March 14, 1990, an extraordinary meeting of people's deputies was held Soviet Union. It took place in the Kremlin Palace. There, everyone present received ballots for secret voting. The day before, they changed the country's Constitution. Namely, the deputies affirmed that the CPSU party is not dominant. Accordingly, a multi-party system was established. The country should be led by a president, who is elected for a term of 5 years. There is a possibility of his re-election.

Mikhail Gorbachev became the first president // Photo: trud.ru

At the meeting, deputies only had to put a tick in front of the initials of the candidate applying for the presidential position. A heated debate broke out around this issue. The deputies were so carried away by it that they completely missed the scheduled time.

Two diametrically opposed points of view emerged. Nursultan Nazarbayev, who at that time was the current secretary of the Central Party, argued that the transition to a presidential form of government would entail positive changes. He believed that this was what would lead to true unity of the Federation. Other statements were also made: “perestroika will be drowned by the presidency.”

This is the first time the country has encountered such pluralism. The deputies also had different points of view regarding the elections themselves. Some suggested abandoning direct long-term elections and holding elections right here and now. However, the majority denied such a need. They said that excessive haste could lead to a negative outcome. Moreover, at that time the situation in the country was quite turbulent. It has already survived a number of international conflicts. And within the country itself, the number of aggressive nationalists increased. In the end, the president was nevertheless chosen and Mikhail Gorbachev became him.

Deputies had different points of view regarding the elections themselves // Photo: topwar.ru

Premature end of the presidential term

Mikhail Gorbachev did not hold office for so long. A year later he was accused of treason. A criminal case was opened against him. The main reason for it was that the president signed a decree on the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The case was soon closed, but the politician was still expelled from the party.

In December 1991, the USSR officially ceased to exist. This was followed by Gorbachev's resignation. He transferred all his rights, including the right to dispose of nuclear weapons, to Boris Yeltsin, the next president. On December 25, the red flag would be removed from the Kremlin. Instead, the symbol of the new state, the RSFSR, was hung on the flagpole for the first time.

Gorbachev transferred all presidential rights to Boris Yeltsin // Photo: tvc.ru

Subsequent actions of the first president

Mikhail Gorbachev tried to become president again in 1996 by nominating his candidacy. However, he managed to get only 0.51% of the votes. 4 years later he created his own Social Democratic Party. Unfortunately, it was dissolved in 2007 by order of the Supreme Court. When Putin first took the reins of power, the veteran politician supported his candidacy. But a year later he was somewhat disappointed in Russia's electoral system:

There is something wrong with our elections, and our electoral system needs serious adjustment.

Awards

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev is the only politician who has accumulated a huge number of awards and titles during his life. Moreover, they were given to him not only in his native country, but also abroad. For example, for strengthening peace between nations he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle.