Turning the pages back... February 27, 1991 (02/27/00)

Turning the pages back...

February 27, 1991

Nine years ago to the day, the Supreme Soviet (Parliament) of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic voted to add a poll on the sovereignty of Ukraine to the public referendum already scheduled for March 17, 1991, on a renewed federation of Soviet socialist republics as proposed by Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

The proposal was passed by 307 votes out of 395 people's deputies taking part in the parliamentary proceedings.

The question to be put to the citizens of Ukraine was: "Do you agree that Ukraine should be part of the Union of Soviet Sovereign States, based on the principles of Ukraine's Declaration of State Sovereignty?"

The Supreme Soviet's approval of the sovereignty poll was seen by democratic political leaders as yet another step toward securing the independence of Ukraine.

The end result: on March 17, while 70.5 percent of voters supported a renewed union, 80.16 percent also voted "yes" to Ukraine's sovereignty within a union of sovereign states.

Source: "Ukraine adds sovereignty poll to March 17 union referendum" by Marta Kolomayets, The Ukrainian Weekly, March 3, 1991 (Vol. LIX, No. 9); and "Over 80 percent vote for Ukraine's sovereignty; 70.5 percent support union" by Marta Kolomayets, The Ukrainian Weekly, March 24, 1991 (Vol. LIX, No. 12).

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