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Supreme Soviet OKs Economic, Social Reforms

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Associated Press

The Supreme Soviet today unanimously adopted a historic economic reform law proposed by Communist Party chief Mikhail S. Gorbachev to improve production by giving managers more autonomy and responsibility.

The law was adopted by a show of hands five minutes into the second day of the summer session of the Supreme Soviet, the nominal Parliament.

Also approved was a law establishing an appeals process for citizens who believe their rights have been violated by officials and a law calling for a nationwide network of public discussion groups to broaden citizen participation in national affairs.

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The economic changes championed by Gorbachev are intended to force businesses to be economically self-sufficient, to revamp the system of pricing and supply and to curb the power of state bureaucrats.

Significant Change

Although government planners will retain some powers under the reform package, it represents a dramatic break with the state-financed “command economy” that had been the Soviet ideal since Josef Stalin’s rule.

The 1,500-member Supreme Soviet routinely gives a stamp of approval to decisions made by the ruling Politburo. Although its sessions are treated with much fanfare by the state-run media, the lawmakers adopt party proposals by unanimous vote.

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The principles of the new discussion law were outlined in a speech by President Andrei A. Gromyko, but few specifics were explained.

Sincere Opinions Sought

Current methods of gathering public opinion have been “over organized and in many ways were a formality,” Gromyko said. He added that the leadership’s campaigns for economic and social reform “demand a precisely functioning mechanism of bringing out public opinion.”

The law was adopted after being amended to include discussion of Soviet foreign policy as well as of domestic affairs.

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The appeals law, as explained by party Secretary Georgy P. Razumovsky, requires the court to respond within 10 days to citizens’ complaints of rights violations.

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