Vice President of the Soviet Union

Vice President of the Soviet Union was a short-lived state position created during the final year of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Established by a constitutional amendment in December 1990, the office was intended to provide a clear line of succession to the newly created presidency held by Mikhail Gorbachev. The sole occupant of the post was Gennady Yanayev, whose tenure was defined by his role in the failed 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt against Gorbachev. The office was formally abolished with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.

History and establishment

The office was established by the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union on 26 December 1990, following the passage of a constitutional amendment proposed by Mikhail Gorbachev. This reform was part of a broader restructuring of the Soviet political system, moving away from the collective leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and toward a more presidential model. The creation of the vice presidency was modeled partly on systems in countries like the United States and was intended to stabilize the executive branch during a period of severe political and economic crisis. The position replaced the largely ceremonial role of the First Vice Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, signaling a shift toward a more powerful executive. The first and only election for the office was held by the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union in December 1990, where Gennady Yanayev was elected after being nominated by Gorbachev.

Powers and duties

Constitutionally, the primary duty of the Vice President was to succeed to the presidency in the event of the president's death, resignation, or inability to perform his duties. The officeholder was also an ex officio member of key advisory bodies, including the Presidential Council of the Soviet Union and the Security Council of the Soviet Union. The vice president could be assigned specific tasks by the president, such as chairing governmental meetings or representing the Soviet Union abroad. However, the role lacked independent executive authority and was largely defined by the relationship with and assignments from the president. The constitutional framework, detailed in the amended Constitution of the Soviet Union, provided few enumerated powers, making the position's influence heavily dependent on the incumbent's personal standing with Mikhail Gorbachev and within the Politburo.

List of officeholders

Only one individual ever held the title of Vice President of the Soviet Union. {| class="wikitable" |- ! No. ! Portrait ! Name
(Birth–death) ! Term of office ! Political party ! President |- | 1 | 80px | Gennady Yanayev
(1937–2010) | 27 December 1990 – 21 August 1991
(Acting President: 19–21 August 1991) | CPSU | Mikhail Gorbachev |}

Gennady Yanayev, a former chairman of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions, was elected by the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union on 27 December 1990. His tenure is overwhelmingly defined by his central role as a ringleader in the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, during which he was declared Acting President of the Soviet Union by the State Committee on the State of Emergency after claiming Mikhail Gorbachev was ill. Following the coup's collapse, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union suspended Yanayev from his duties on 21 August 1991, and he was subsequently arrested and charged with treason.

Abolition of the office

The office was effectively rendered defunct by the political turmoil following the failed August Coup. After the coup, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the authority of central Soviet institutions collapsed. With the signing of the Belavezha Accords by Boris Yeltsin of the Russian SFSR, Leonid Kravchuk of the Ukrainian SSR, and Stanislav Shushkevich of the Byelorussian SSR in December 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was declared dissolved. The office was formally abolished on 25 December 1991, concurrent with Gorbachev's resignation as President of the Soviet Union and the lowering of the Flag of the Soviet Union over the Kremlin. No provision for a vice presidency was carried over into the political systems of the post-Soviet states like the Russian Federation.

Soviet Union Category:Government of the Soviet Union Category:1990 establishments in the Soviet Union Category:1991 disestablishments in the Soviet Union