A
referendum on the future of the Soviet Union was held on 17 March 1991. The question put to voters was
Do you consider necessary the preservation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics in which the rights and freedom of an individual of any nationality will be fully guaranteed?
In
Kazakhstan, the wording of the referendum was changed by substituting "equal sovereign states" for "equal sovereign republics."
Although the vote was boycotted by the authorities in
Armenia,
Estonia,
Georgia (though not the breakaway province of
Abkhazia, where
the result was over 98% in favour,
[3] and in
South Ossetia),
[4] Latvia,
Lithuania,
Moldova (though not
Transnistria or
Gagauzia),
[5] turnout was 80% across the rest of the USSR.
[2] The referendum's question was approved by nearly 70% of voters in all nine other republics that took part.
[6] It was the only referendum in the history of the Soviet Union, which was
dissolved on 26 December 1991.
Results
| Choice |
Votes |
% |
| For |
113,512,812 |
77.8 |
| Against |
32,303,977 |
22.2 |
| Invalid/blank votes |
2,757,817 |
– |
| Total |
148,574,606 |
100 |
| Registered voters/turnout |
185,647,355 |
80.0 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver |
Participating
republics
Republic
|
For
|
Against
|
Invalid
votes
|
Total
votes
|
Registered
voters
|
Turnout
|
Votes
|
%
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
56,860,783
|
73.00
|
21,030,753
|
27.00
|
1,809,633
|
79,701,169
|
105,643,364
|
75.44
|
|
|
1,908,875
|
85.9
|
269,007
|
12.1
|
43,276
|
2,221,158
|
2,719,637
|
81.7
|
|
|
447,438
|
83.5
|
78,167
|
14.6
|
10,197
|
535,802
|
668,231
|
80.2
|
|
|
670,488
|
82.6
|
131,522
|
16.2
|
9,999
|
812,009
|
1,008,626
|
80.5
|
|
|
290,380
|
77.9
|
77,339
|
20.8
|
4,888
|
372,607
|
489,436
|
76.1
|
|
|
148,462
|
87.8
|
17,833
|
10.5
|
2,829
|
169,124
|
204,301
|
82.8
|
|
|
317,854
|
76.0
|
92,703
|
22.0
|
7,544
|
418,101
|
551,644
|
75.8
|
|
|
412,842
|
76.0
|
119,678
|
22.0
|
10,883
|
543,403
|
797,049
|
75.44
|
|
|
333,319
|
79.6
|
77,239
|
18.5
|
8,041
|
418,599
|
525,685
|
79.6
|
|
|
459,021
|
80.3
|
101,886
|
17.8
|
10,724
|
571,631
|
677,706
|
84.3
|
|
|
331,823
|
90.2
|
32,786
|
8.9
|
3,249
|
367,858
|
428,307
|
85.9
|
|
|
1,708,193
|
87.5
|
211,516
|
10.8
|
32,059
|
1,951,768
|
2,532,383
|
77.1
|
|
|
126,598
|
91.4
|
9,404
|
6.8
|
2,494
|
138,496
|
171,731
|
80.6
|
|
|
622,714
|
76.0
|
180,289
|
22.0
|
16,137
|
819,140
|
1,103,083
|
74.3
|
|
|
318,059
|
75.9
|
94,737
|
22.6
|
6,216
|
419,012
|
712,139
|
58.8
|
|
|
616,387
|
82.4
|
113,249
|
15.1
|
18,784
|
748,420
|
900,913
|
81.3
|
|
|
415,712
|
76.7
|
116,798
|
21.6
|
9,483
|
541,993
|
688,679
|
78.7
|
|
|
2,709,246
|
94.12
|
169,225
|
5.88
|
25,326
|
2,903,797
|
3,866,659
|
75.10
|
|
|
31,328
|
87.3
|
3,620
|
10.1
|
918
|
35,866
|
174,364
|
20.6
|
|
|
5,069,313
|
83.72
|
986,079
|
16.28
|
71,591
|
6,126,983
|
7,354,796
|
83.31
|
|
|
8,295,519
|
95.00
|
436,560
|
5.00
|
84,464
|
8,816,543
|
9,999,433
|
88.17
|
|
|
2,057,971
|
95.98
|
86,246
|
4.02
|
30,377
|
2,174,593
|
2,341,646
|
92.87
|
|
|
2,315,755
|
96.85
|
75,300
|
3.15
|
16,497
|
2,407,552
|
2,549,096
|
94.45
|
|
|
1,766,584
|
98.26
|
31,203
|
1.74
|
6,531
|
1,804,310
|
1,846,310
|
97.66
|
|
|
22,110,899
|
71.48
|
8,820,089
|
28.52
|
583,256
|
31,514,244
|
37,732,178
|
83.52
|
|
|
9,196,848
|
94.73
|
511,373
|
5.27
|
108,112
|
9,816,333
|
10,287,938
|
95.42
|
|
|
563,916
|
97.6
|
10,133
|
1.8
|
3,668
|
577,717
|
584,208
|
98.9
|
In republics not participating in the
Soviet referendums
First,
it must be noted an official referendum had been held in Estonia on 3 March
1991 whether to re-establish the Estonian republic that had been occupied by
the Soviet Union in
1940. The result was 77.8% in favour of re-establishing the Estonian republic.[11] Also Latvia held an official
referendum on 3 March 1991 where the overwhelming majority voted to
re-establish the independent Latvian republic.
Consequently,
in these republics pro-Soviet front-organisations organised voluntary
referendums without official sanction.[12][13] Turnout of voting here was
considerably less than 50% of the franchised voters of these countries, but
this information was not included in the official statement of the Central
Commission of the Referendum of USSR.[14]
Republic
|
For
|
Against
|
Invalid
votes
|
Total
votes
|
Registered
voters
(not equal to
franchised voters)
|
Turnout
(based on
registered,
not franchised voters)
|
Votes
|
%
|
Votes
|
%
|
|
|
2,541
|
72.46
|
966
|
27.54
|
42
|
3,549
|
4,923
|
72.09
|
|
|
43,950
|
99.98
|
9
|
0.02
|
53
|
44,012
|
45,696
|
96.31
|
|
|
164,231
|
98.5
|
1,566
|
0.9
|
747
|
166,544
|
318,317
|
52.3
|
|
|
211,090
|
95.46
|
10,040
|
4.54
|
1,110
|
222,240
|
299,681
|
74.16
|
|
|
415,147
|
95.84
|
18,015
|
4.16
|
3,621
|
436,783
|
670,828
|
65.11
|
|
|
496,050
|
99.13
|
4,355
|
0.87
|
970
|
436,783
|
582,262
|
86.11
|
|
|
688,905
|
98.72
|
8,916
|
1.28
|
3,072
|
700,893
|
841,507
|
83.29
|
|
|
Additional questions
In several of the republics, additional questions were added to the ballot. In Russia, an additional
question was asked on whether an
elective post of the
president of the Russian SFSR should be created. In Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan the additional question was on the sovereignty of their republics as part of a new union.
[2]
Kirghizia
In
Kirghizia, voters were also asked "Do you agree that the Republic of Kirghizia should be in the renewed Union as a sovereign republic with equal rights?" It was approved by 62.2% of voters, although turnout was only 81.7%, compared to 92.9% in the Union-wide referendum.
[16]
| Choice |
Votes |
% |
| For |
|
62.2 |
| Against |
|
37.8 |
| Invalid/blank votes |
|
– |
| Total |
|
100 |
| Source: Nohlen et al. |
Ukraine
In the
Ukraine, voters were also asked "Do you agree that Ukraine should be part of a Union of Soviet sovereign states on the basis on the
Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine?"
[17] The proposal was approved by 81.7% of voters.
[17]
| Choice |
Votes |
% |
| For |
25,224,687 |
81.7 |
| Against |
5,655,701 |
18.3 |
| Invalid/blank votes |
584,703 |
– |
| Total |
31,465,091 |
100 |
| Registered voters/turnout |
37,689,767 |
83.5 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver |
At the same day a referendum in the
Galician provinces Ivano-Frankivsk,
Lviv, and
Ternopil asked the three regions of the USSR about the creation of independent state of Ukraine.
[18][19] 88% of the voters in this refendum supported Ukraine's independence.
[20]
Uzbekistan
In
Uzbekistan, voters were also asked "Do you agree that Uzbekistan should remain part of a renewed Union (federation) as a sovereign republic with equal rights?" It was approved by 94.9% of voters, with a turnout of 95.5%.
[1]
| Choice |
Votes |
% |
| For |
|
94.9 |
| Against |
|
5.1 |
| Invalid/blank votes |
|
1.1 |
| Total |
9,824,304 |
100 |
| Source: Nohlen et al. |
| Soviet Union referendum, 1991 |
|---|
| Do you consider necessary the preservation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics in which the rights and freedom of an individual of any nationality will be fully guaranteed? |
| Results |
|---|
| Votes | % |
|---|
 Yes | 113,512,812 | 77.85% |
 No | 32,303,977 | 22.15% |
| Valid votes | 145,816,789 | 98.14% |
| Invalid or blank votes | 2,757,817 | 1.86% |
| Total votes | 148,574,606 | 100.00% |
| Registered voters/turnout | 185,647,355 | 80.03% |
|
| Results by republic |
|---|
|
|
Yes
No
|
|
| Referendum held: 17 March 1991 |
English: Map of the Soviet Union showing how the republics voted in the 1991 referendum.
95-100% Yes
90-95% Yes
85-90% Yes
80-85% Yes
75-80% Yes
70-75% Yes
Republic not participating
