Soviets of People’s Deputies of Primorsky Krai at the final stage of the USSR collapse (august – december 1991)

Transformation of regional and local Soviets of People’s Deputies of the RSFSR in the second half of 1991 as exemplified by Primorsky Krai is examined in the present paper. The author reveals the reasons and pre-requisites for the reform of legislative and executive bodies of power and administration in the region after the events of August 1991 and before and before the dissolution of the USSR. The consequences of the reform are analyzed, the most important of which have been the abandonment of the principle of the Soviets sovereignty and the transition of executive power from executive committees to administrative bodies. The paper considers personnel changes in the leadership of Primorye’s representative and executive authorities. The author concludes that the development of the Soviet system in the second half of 1991 resulted in the loss of a large part of its authority over local affairs and the de facto separation of the executive into an autonomous vertical power. Conclusion is reached that personnel revolution in executive and representative power of Primorye in last months of 1991 has not taken place. However its new configuration has created preconditions for political transformation of the regional elite in the post-Soviet period