Soviet Election Plan Appears to Meet Resistance : But Party Supports Gorbachev’s Other Democracy Proposals

Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev appeared Thursday to be facing strong resistance to his radical proposal for secret-ballot, multiple-candidate elections for top Communist Party posts.

A resolution adopted by the party Central Committee, printed in Thursday’s issue of Pravda and other party publications, contains only vague support for the concept of “intra-party democracy” and makes no specific endorsement of Gorbachev’s proposal.

Nevertheless, the resolution firmly endorses other proposals for “democratization” advanced by Gorbachev in his address to a meeting this week of the Central Committee.

In his closing remarks, made public Thursday by Tass, the official news agency, Gorbachev insisted that the Central Committee meeting showed “complete unity of views” on the issues presented to it.

‘We Need Democracy’

“The party and all healthy forces stand for change . . . and this should mark an end to the debates on whether we need change or not,” Gorbachev said. “We need democracy like air,” and without it the new policies will “get choked” and ultimately fail.

Western diplomats said the vague language dealing with proposed changes in the way party leaders are elected may reflect divisions within the Politburo on a key element of the Gorbachev program.

“It’s a caution sign, indicating he’s got less than all-out support on this issue,” one Western analyst said. “Even so, he’s got a good shot at getting his proposals through, but it’s not going to be easy.”

Another Western analyst said: “Someone in the Politburo is applying the brakes. It may take a while for Gorbachev to get what he wants.”

Structure of Committee

The Central Committee, which meets twice a year, supervises the party’s work and directs national policy. Its 270 full members and 177 candidate members are named by the party congress, which under the constitution is to be convened every five years. The Central Committee, which meets twice a year, names the Political Bureau, or Politburo, the Soviet Union’s most powerful policy-making body.

Gorbachev, in his speech to the Central Committee on Tuesday, strongly emphasized the need for greater democracy in the work of the party and in the workplaces of the Soviet people.

But he spoke cautiously about how the party should revise its method of choosing leaders, saying “there also is a need to think of changing the procedure. . . .”

Later, he attributed the suggestion for secret-ballot, multiple-candidate elections to unidentified “comrades,” but made it clear that he favors a break with the present practice of presenting a single candidate who is invariably elected unanimously.

On this point, the Central Committee resolution does not go into detail. It approves only a general theme of “perfecting the mechanism of formation of elected party bodies at all levels in the light of its further democratization.”

Negotiated in Advance

Western analysts said it was likely that the Central Committee approved a resolution that had been negotiated in advance within the 12-member Politburo.

Soviet historian Roy A. Medvedev said the results of the Central Committee meeting represent a compromise between Gorbachev and others who are not ready to support such a far-reaching change.