tions. Thus, the organization of authority continues 

 to take the form of an intricate, weblike structure 

 of specialized agencies, divided responsibilities, 

 and complex relationships. 



Central Policy-Making Organs 

 At the Ail-Union and Republic Levels 



Policy-making authority is formally exercised by 

 three organs at the all-union and republic levels. 

 These are (1) the leadership elements of the Commu- 

 nist Party, at the all-union level the Central Com- 

 mittee and its elected Politburo and Secretariat; 

 (2) the legislative organ, at the all-union level the 

 Supreme Soviet; and (3) the Councils of Ministers. 

 The authority wielded by the Party derives from its 

 status as the only ruling party and sole repository 

 of legitimacy in the system rather than from any for- 

 mal responsibility within the Soviet governmental hi- 

 erarchy. The highest organ of state authority, as 

 specified in the Soviet constitution, is the Supreme 

 Soviet, while the USSR Council of Ministers, report- 

 ing to the Supreme Soviet, is the central administra- 

 tive organ of the government. There are counterpart 

 bodies for the Supreme Soviet, the Council of Minis- 

 ters, and the Central Committee of the Party in each 

 of the 15 republics of the Union* with the exception 

 of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, 

 where there is no republic Central Committee. 



This general tripartite division of institutions 

 and functions, however, should not be taken to imply 

 a genuine separation of powers or checks and balances 

 along American lines. In actuality, it has always 

 been clear that final authority in the USSR rests 

 with the Communist Party and its own executive ap- 

 paratus. The legislative and executive branches of 

 government are of secondary importance in the formu- 

 lation of fundamental policy, and, sometimes, in de- 

 _ _ 



These are the Russian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithu- 

 anian, Belorussian, Ukrainian, Moldavian, Armenian, 

 Georgian, Azerbaidzhan, Kazakh, Turkmen, Tadzhik, 

 Uzbek, and Kirgiz Soviet Socialist Republics. 



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