Soviet Reformers Lose Vote on Party Monopoly : East Bloc: Parliament reaffirms Communists’ power. Gorbachev wins, but 1,139-839 tally is closer than many expected.

The Soviet Parliament today rejected a bid by reformers to follow several Eastern European countries and one Soviet republic in striking the Communist Party’s monopoly on power from the constitution.

The rebuff was a victory for President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who wants the Congress of People’s Deputies to focus on the nation’s severe economic problems.

The Congress, on the first day of a 10-day session, refused to include on its agenda a discussion of Article 6 of the constitution, which calls the Communist Party “the leading and guiding force of Soviet society and the nucleus of its political system.”

But the vote, 1,139 to 839, indicated the idea has gained strength among the deputies, who were elected in March. Fifty-six abstained.

Poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, supporting a move by deputies from the Baltic republics and the reformist Inter-Regional Deputies Group, said: “Authority must not be only written into one paragraph, but proven every day.”

He later called the vote a “noble defeat” since 87% of the Congress deputies are party members. “We got 839 votes,” Yevtushenko said. “I didn’t expect that.”

The Baltic republic of Lithuania last week became the first of the Soviet Union’s 15 republics to replace Article 6 with one that allows a multiparty system.

Gorbachev said any issue was open to debate, but warned against thinking that eliminating Article 6 would solve all the country’s troubles.

“We cannot start political speculation,” he said.

He urged the Congress instead to concentrate on a government plan to straighten out the country’s economic mess, which was to be presented later by Premier Nikolai I. Ryzhkov.

“We need drastic reforms,” Gorbachev said. “So far, there are no improvements in this area.”

Ryzhkov’s deputy, economist Leonid Abalkin, has developed a detailed plan to make the Soviet ruble convertible on world markets, jettison money-losing state-run businesses and fill empty store shelves.

But Congress also rejected efforts by reformers to discuss key pieces of the economic reform, including proposed laws on property ownership and land, that came before the Supreme Soviet legislature this fall.

Key economic laws have been submitted for public discussion and Gorbachev said they could be adopted next spring.

Of more than 2,000 deputies, 1,387 voted against discussing the laws on land and property during the session. A total of 537 supported it and 68 abstained.

The debate over land and property led to an acrimonious exchange between Gorbachev and human rights activist Andrei D. Sakharov.

Sakharov urged the deputies to debate “all the articles hindering the passing of laws on land, property and other bills promoting perestroika. “