What Next?
Here’s a look at what will happen to the Soviet Communist Party under decrees issued by President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who resigned as party general secretary and urged dissolution of its policy-making Central Committee:
* Dissolution of the Communist Party’s present structure of cells and committees as the policy-making bodies in virtually every state organization and military unit.
* The government will seize Communist Party property and other assets across the country.
* Dissolution of the Communist Party’s policy-making Central Committee and probable breakup of the party into ideological factions and regional parties. A new social democratic party could emerge with Gorbachev’s backing.
* Seizure of Communist Party and KGB archives as a prelude to sweeping investigations into possible crimes of party officials and the purge of party members from government and other posts.
* A new coalition government will be appointed based on representation of the country’s major republics and the emerging alliance between Gorbachev and Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin.
* Greater devolution of power to the country’s constituent republics.
* More rapid transformation of the Soviet economy based on the free-market principles of supply and demand and private enterprise.
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