View source for 2020 Soviet presidential election (New Union)

{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2020 Soviet presidential election
| country = Soviet Union (New Union)
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no 
| previous_election = 2015 Soviet presidential election (New Union)
| previous_year = 2015
| election_date = 21 Febuary 2020 (1st round)<br />{{nowrap|28 Febuary 2020 (2nd round)}}
| next_election = 2025 Soviet presidential election
| next_year = 2025
| title = President of The Soviet Union
| before_election = Leonid Kalashnikov <small> (acting) </small>
| before_party = CPSU
| image1 = [[File:14-03-2020 Alexei Kudrin.png|180x150px]]
| nominee1 = Alexei Kudrin
| party1 = Independent 
| alliance1 = 
| colour1 = C0C0C0
| popular_vote1 = '''87,768,639'''
| percentage1 = '''51.55%'''
| image2 = [[File:Leonid Kalashnikov 2019.png|180x150px]]
| nominee2 = [[Leonid Kalashnikov]]
| party2 = CPSU
| alliance2 = BCS
| colour2 = c00000
| popular_vote2 = 85,724,507
| percentage2 = 48.45%
| map_image =
| map_caption = Results of the first round by department and region
| map2_image = File:2020 Soviet Presidential Election First Round Map.png
| map2_caption = Results by federal subject <br> '''Alexei Kudrin:''' {{legend0|#d0d2ffff|45–50%}} {{legend0|#afb0ffff|50–55%}} {{legend0|#9999ffff|55–60%}} {{legend0|#7777ffff|60–65%}} {{legend0|#5555ffff|65–70%}} {{legend0|#0013b4ff|70–75%}} {{legend0|#00008bff|75–80%}} {{legend0|#000064ff|80% +}} <br> '''Leonid Kalashnikov:''' {{legend0|#ffd1d1ff|45–50%}} {{legend0|#f8b3b6ff|50–55%}} {{legend0|#f48d91ff|55–60%}} {{legend0|#f0676cff|60–65%}} {{legend0|#BF332C|65–70%}} {{legend0|#A52116|70–75%}} {{legend0|#7F170E|75–80%}} {{legend0|#360503|80% +}}
| after_election = Alexei Kudrin
| after_party = Independent 
| turnout = 95.55% (first round) <br/> 86.0% (second round)
}}

Presidential elections were held in the Soviet Union on November 17 1991. This was the first presidential election in the country's history. The election was held roughly two months after the [[New Union Treaty]] was formalized in August that year. It resulted in a victory for the incumbent President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, who ran as a reform minded communist. Gorbachev defeated opposition candidate Boris Yeltsin in the [[Two-round system|run-off]], receiving 51.55 % of the vote. Gorbachev’s inauguration ceremony took place on 1 December. Mikhail Gorbachev would not complete the second term for which he was elected, as he resigned on 31 December 1993, 2 years before the scheduled end of his term, December 1, 1996. The 1991 presidential election was the first election in the countries history which was deemed free and fair by international observers. It was the first election in which no party or candidate was able to gain a majority, in the first round of voting. The election became a catalyst for [[Soviet democracy]] and demonstrated the end of one party rule in the Soviet Union. 

== Background ==
In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev appointed himself to the newly created post of [[Presidents of The Soviet Union|President of The Soviet Union]]. This was done as part of an effort, by  Gorbachev, to democratize the Soviet Union, and to move away from one party rule. On August 22, 1991 of the New Union treaty was formalized, the treaty ended on party rule in the Soviet Union and officially declared a country a democratic federation of sovereign republics.The first democratic and multi party elections were held on November 19, 1996. Shorty after the adaptation of the New Union treaty, a new constitution was introduced. In the new [[constitution]] future presidential terms were stipulated to last for five years, meaning that the 1991 election would elect a president to serve a five-year term.  

Shortly before the election campaign, Gorbachev had faced a number of significant political humiliations which harmed his political stature. Not all republics’s agreed to the treaty, the former Republics of Moldova ,Armenia, Georgia and the Baltic states declared their independence and did not join the New Union. Furthermore the status of Ukraine hadn’t been resolved by the time of the election. The Ukrainian SSR was a formal signatory of the New Union treaty, however it was unclear if Ukraine would formally ratify the treaty or even if Ukraine still a part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine  entered a state of independence on 24 August when the Verkhovna Rada of Ukrainian SSR voted to declare Ukraine a sovereign state. Despite the declaration, Ukraine’s status remained unclear. Ukraine’s institutions remained under the defacto control of Moscow, and it was still unknown what percent, and more importantly which parts of Ukraine, wanted to remain a part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine hadn’t yet undertaken any action to solidify its independence by the time of the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian independence referendum was scheduled to take place after the presidential election making Ukraine’s status a key issue among voters.

The secession of  the “lost regions” plagued Gorbachev’s campaign, Gorbachev was accused of attempting to dissolve the Soviet Union and of being a western agent. The leader of of the Liberal and Democratic party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, even stated that if he were elected President he would bring a treason charge against Gorbachev. In addition to political instability, the early 90s saw a significant decline in the Soviet economy as the country entered a near stagnation. Gorbachev failed to enact many of the reforms he  promised, most notably the [[500 Day Plan]] which was meant liberalize and revive the stagnating economy. By early November, Gorbachev’s public standing had risen significantly, Gorbachev’s was polling at third among presidential candidates. Gorbachev’s in the weeks prior to the election, Gorbachev’s approval rating had risen from 28 percent support in 29 October to 41% in 10 November. The rise in Gorbachev’s approval rating is largely attributed to pro Gorbachev bias in the media, which was still state owned during the time of the election. Gorbachev managed to reverse his fortunes, ultimately defeating Yeltsin in the second round of the election.

==Candidates==

=== Registered candidates ===

{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
! colspan="3"| Name, age,<br />political party
! Experience
! Home region
! colspan="3"| Running mate Name, age,<br />political party
! Registration date
|-
|style="background:lavender;"  |Leonid <br /> Kalashnikov <br /> (60) <br /> Communist Party
|[[File:Leonid Kalashnikov 2019.png|180x150px]]
|style="background:#CC1111;"|
|''' Deputy of The Soviet of The Union '''<br /><small>(2011–2015)</small> , <br /> '''Vice President of The Soviet Union'''<br /><small>(2016–2020)</small> <br />  '''Acting President of The Soviet Union''' <br /> <small> (2019 - 2020) </small>
|[[File:Flag of Samara Oblast.svg|center|70px|border]] Samara 
|Yury Afonin <br /> (43) <br /> Communist Party
|[[File:Yury Afonin 2019-09-12.jpg|180x150px]]
|style="background:#CC1111;"|
|7 July 2019
|-
|style="background:lavender;" |Grigory Yavlinsky <br /> (68) <br /> Greens
|[[File:Явлинский 2017.jpg|180x150px]]
|style="background:#377E22;"|
|''' Deputy of The Soviet of The Union '''<br /><small>(since 1996)</small> , <br /> '''Leader of the Greens '''<br /><small>(1993–2008)</small> <br />  '''Premier of the Soviet Union''' <br /> <small> (2000 - 2005) </small> 
|[[File:Flag of Moscow, Russia.svg|center|70px|border]] Moscow
|Yury Boldyrev <br /> (60) <br /> Greens
|[[File:Yury Boldyrev Moscow asv2018-01.jpg|180x150px]]
|style="background:#377E22;"|
|23 August 2018
|-
|style="background:lavender;" |Dmitry Yuryevich Mironov <br /> (52) <br /> People’s Party
|[[File:Governor Dmitry Mironov official portrait (cropped).jpg|180x150px]]
| style="background:#2E4EA4;"|
|''' Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Soviet Union'''<br /><small>(2011 - 2014)</small> , <br /> '''Governor of Yaroslavl Oblast '''<br /><small>(2017 - 2021)</small> 
|[[File:Flag of Yaroslavl Oblast.svg|70px|border]] Yaroslavl Oblast
|Sergey Sobyanin <br /> (62) <br /> People’s Party
|[[File:Sergey Sobyanin official portrait.jpg|180x150px]]
| style="background:#2E4EA4;"|
|2 February 2019
|-
|style="background:lavender;" |Garry Kasparov <br /> (57) <br /> Liberals
|[[File:Garri Kasparow (18776605665) (cropped) 2.jpg|175x175px]]
| style="background:#FFC627;"|
|''' Leader of the Liberal Party'''<br /><small>(Since 2014)</small> , <br /> '''Chess Grandmaster '''<br /><small>(Since 1980)</small> <br /> '''World Chess Champion '''<br /><small>(1985 - 1993)</small> <br /><small>(1993 - 2000)</small> 
|[[File:Flag of Saint Petersburg.svg|center|70px|border]] Saint Petersburg
|Nikita Belykh <br /> (45) <br /> Independent
|[[File:Nikita Belykh 1.jpg|175x175px]]
| style="background:#FFC627;"|
|18 June 2019
|-
|style="background:lavender;" |Vladimir Zhirinovsky <br /> (72) <br /> Liberal and Democratic Party
|[[File:Vladimir Zhirinovsky 2015-06-29.jpg|175x175px]]
| style="background:#4289CD;"|
|''' Leader of the Liberal and Democratic Party'''<br /><small>(1991 - 2022)</small> <br />''' Deputy of the Soviet of the Union'''<br /><small>(1991 - 2022)</small> 
|[[File:Flag of Moscow, Russia.svg|center|70px|border]] Moscow
|Igor Lebedev <br /> (48) <br /> Liberal and Democratic Party
|[[File:Igor V. Lebedev (2019-07-11).jpg|175x175px]]
| style="background:#4289CD;"|
|1 May 2019
|-
|style="background:lavender;" |Alexei Kudrin <br /> (60) <br /> Independent
|[[File:14-03-2020 Alexei Kudrin.png|180x150px]] 
| style="background:#C0C0C0;"|
|  ''' President of the Soviet Union'''<br /><small>(since 2020)</small> <br /> ''' Hero of the Soviet Union ''' <br /><small>(2000)</small> <br /> ''' Minister of Finance ''' <br /><small>(2000 - 2011)</small> 
|[[File:Flag of Moscow, Russia.svg|center|70px|border]] Moscow
|Valeri Pashkin <br /> (58) <br /> Independent
|{{center|[[File:Sin foto.svg|175x175px]]}}
|  style="background:#C0C0C0;"|
|2 May 2019
|-
|style="background:lavender;" |Vladimir Milov <br> (47) <br> Democratic Union
|[[File:2017 Halifax International Security Forum (38473649942) (cropped).jpg|175x175px]]
| style="background:#1199EE;"|
|
|
|Boris Titov
(58) Democratic Union
|
| style="background:#1199EE;"|
|23 June 2019
|-
|}

=== Withdrawn Candidates ===

{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
! colspan="3"| Name, age,<br />political party
! Experience
! Home region
! colspan="3"| Running mate Name, age,<br />political party
! Registration date
! Date of withdrawal
! Details 
|-
|style="background:lavender;"  |Nikolay Kharitonov <br /> (72) <br /> Agrarian Party 
|[[File:Nikolay Kharitonov 2018-03-29.jpg|170x170px]]
|style="background-color:#FFEE55;" |
|''' Deputy of The Soviet of The Union '''<br /><small>(since 1996)</small>
| [[File:Flag of Krasnodar Krai.svg|70px|border]] Krasnodar
| Vladimir Plotnikov <br /> (59) <br /> Agrarian Party 
|[[File:В.Н. Плотников ГД.png|170x145px]]
|style="background-color:#FFEE55;" |
|12 March 2019
|3 January 2020
|Endorsed Leonid Kalashnikov
|-
| style="background:lavender;"  |Pavel Kudyukin <br /> (67) <br /> Social Democratic  Party
|[[File:KudyukinPM.jpg|170x145px]] 
| style="background-color:#78070B;" |
|''' Co-founder of the Social Democratic Party of the Soviet Union '''
|[[File:Flag of Moscow oblast.svg|70px|border]] Moscow oblast
|Andrei Vladimirovich Bogdanov <br /> (50) <br /> Social Democratic  Party
| {{center|[[File:Sin foto.svg|175x175px]]}}
|style="background-color:#78070B;" |
|23 November 2018
|14 November 2019
|Endorsed Grigory Yavlinsky
|-
| style="background:lavender;"  |Alexander Lukashenko <br /> (64) <br /> CPSU
|[[File:Александр Лукашенко (13-04-2023) (cropped).jpg|170x145px]] 
| style="background:#CC1111;"|
|
|
|Oleg Romanov
|
|
|11 July 2019
|3 January 2020
|Ran independently of CPSU primaries. Endorsed Leonid Kalashnikov.
|-
|Gennady Semigin (59)
Rodina
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|}

== Opinion Polling ==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%; line-height:14px"
!rowspan=3|Pollster/client(s)
! rowspan="3" |Date(s)
conducted
![[File:14-03-2020 Alexei Kudrin.png|90px]]
![[File:Leonid Kalashnikov 2019.png|90px]]
![[File:Governor Dmitry Mironov official portrait (cropped).jpg|90px]]
![[File:Garri Kasparow (18776605665) (cropped) 2.jpg|90px]]
![[File:Vladimir Zhirinovsky 2015-06-29.jpg|90px]]
![[File:2017 Halifax International Security Forum (38473649942) (cropped).jpg|90px]]
![[File:Явлинский 2017.jpg|90px]]
!rowspan=3 |Invalid ballots
! rowspan="3" |Lead
|-
!Alexei Kudrin
!Leonid Kalashnikov
!Dmitry Mironov 
!Garry Kasparov
!Vladimir Zhirinovsky
!Vladimir Milov
!Grigory Yavlinsky
|-
|bgcolor= #C0C0C0|
|bgcolor= #CC1111|
|bgcolor= #2E4EA4|
| bgcolor= #FFC627|
|bgcolor= #4289CD|
| bgcolor= #1199EE|
| bgcolor= #09932B|
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20180319004248/https://wciom.ru/index2018.html WCIOM]
|20-25 Dec 2019
|23.5
|17.8
| bgcolor="#2E4EA4" |'''24.1'''
|5.6
|3.5
|17.2
|7.2
|1.1
|0.6%
|-
|[http://fom.ru/posts/13991 FOM]
|5 - 10 January 2020
|style="background:#C0C0C0" | '''24.3%'''||21.9%||23.1||11.2||5.6||8.2||5.7||{{N/A| }}
|1.2%
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20180319004248/https://wciom.ru/index2018.html WCIOM]
|3 - 5 February 2020
||21.9%|| style="background:#CC1111"|'''33.2%'''||24.2||8.6||2.6||3.6||4.7||1.2%
|9%
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20180319004248/https://wciom.ru/index2018.html WCIOM]
|12 Febuary 2020
|18.2%
| style="background:#CC1111"|'''35.7%'''
|16.6%
|5%
|3.6%
|12.3%
|6.3%
|2.3%
|17.5%
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20180319004248/https://wciom.ru/index2018.html WCIOM]
|15 Febuary 2020
| style="background:#C0C0C0" |'''21.2%'''
|20.8%
|19.6%
|9.2%
|2.6%
|16.5%
|9%
|1.1%
|0.4%
|}

== Campaigns ==

=== Yuri Ivanov ===
=== Leonid Kalashnikov ===

=== Dmitry Mironov ===

=== Garry Kasparov ===

=== Vladimir Zhirinovsky ===
=== Grigory Yavlinsky ===
=== Vladimir Milov ===
== Conduct ==

== Results ==
{{Election table|title=Summary of the 17 November and 24 November 1991 Soviet presidential election results}}
|- style="background-color: #E9E9E9;
! colspan="2" rowspan="2"| Candidate
! rowspan="2" colspan="2"| Party
! colspan="2"| 1st round <br /> 10 April 2022
! colspan="2"| 2nd round <br /> 24 April 2022
|-
! width="75"|Votes
! width="30"|%
! width="75"|Votes
! width="30"|%
|-
| style="background-color:#EA3368;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]
| style="text-align:left;"|Communist Party <br /> <small> (Democratic Reformers) </small> 
| CPSU-DR
| 52,673,523
| 27.85
| 87,768,639
| 51.55
|-
| style="background-color:#4856B5;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Boris Yeltsin]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Democratic Union]]
| DC
| 43,784,277
| 23.15
| 85,724,507
| 48.45
|-
| style="background-color:#8391CC;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Vladimir Zhirinovsky]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Liberal Democratic Party]]
| LDPSU
| 41,514,682
| 21.95
|-
| style="background-color: red;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Gennady Zyuganov]]
| style="text-align:left;" | Communist Party <br /> <small> (Soyuz) </small> 
| CPSU
| 31,074,543
| 16.43
|-
| style="background-color: #48A04A;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Grigory Yavlinsky]]
| style="text-align:left;" | Independent
| 
| 20,085,919
| 10.62
|-
| style="background-color:#E9E9E9;" colspan="10"|
|- style="font-weight:bold"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="4"| Total
| 191,676,556
| 100.00
| 173,493,146
| 100.00
|-
| style="background-color:#E9E9E9;" colspan="10"|
|-
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="4"| Valid votes
| 189,132,947
| 98.14
| 170,259,242
| 98.66
|-
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="4"| Blank ballots
| 1,296,458
| 1.21
| 1,805,249
| 1.04
|-
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="4"| Invalid ballots
| 1,247,151
| 0.65
| 520,479
| 0.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="4"| Turnout
| 191,676,556
| 95.01
| 173,493,146
| 86.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="4"| Not voted
| 10,071,320
| 4.99
| 28,254,730
| 14.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="4"| Registered voters
| 201,747,876
|-
| style="text-align:left" colspan="10"| Source: Minister of the Interior<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Elections/Les-resultats/Presidentielles/elecresult__presidentielle-2022/(path)/presidentielle-2022/FE.html |title=Résultats de l'élection présidentielle 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507115012/https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Elections/Les-resultats/Presidentielles/elecresult__presidentielle-2022/(path)/presidentielle-2022/FE.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

{{bar box
|title=Vote share – 1st round
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=650px
|barwidth=410px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Alexei Kudrin|#C0C0C0 |25.28}}
{{bar percent|Leonid Kalashnikov|#CC1111|23.15}}
{{bar percent|Vladimir Milov|#1199EE |14.64}}
{{bar percent|Dmitry Mironov|#2E4EA4 |12.09}}
{{bar percent|Grigory Yavlinsky|#09932B|9.12}}
{{bar percent|Garry Kasparov|#FFC627 |7.95}}
{{bar percent|Vladimir Zhirinovsky |#4289CD |7.77}}
}}

{{bar box
|title=Vote share – 2nd round
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=650px
|barwidth=410px
|bars=
{{bar percent| Alexei Kudrin|#C0C0C0|51.55}}
{{bar percent| Leonid Kalashnikov|#c00000|48.45}}

}}

== Aftermath ==