Supreme Soviet
The Supreme Soviet was the common name for the legislative bodies of the Soviet socialist republics in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, established in 1938, and were nearly identical. Soviet-approved delegates to the Supreme Soviets were periodically elected in unopposed elections. The first free or semi-free elections took place during perestroika in late 1980s. The soviets until then were largely rubber-stamp institutions, approving decisions handed to them by the Communist Party of the USSR or of each SSR. The soviets met infrequently and elected the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, a permanent body, to act on their behalf while the soviet was not in session. Under the 1936 and 1977 Soviet Constitutions the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet served as the collective head of state of the USSR.
The Supreme Soviets also elected the Council of Ministers, an executive body. After the dissolution of the USSR in late December 1991, most of these soviets became the legislatures of independent countries.
Supreme Soviets of the Soviet Republics
| Soviet Republic | Supreme Soviet | Established | Disbanded | |
| Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR Հայկական ՍՍՀ Գերագույն Խորհուրդ | 1938 | 1995 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR Азәрбаjҹан ССР Али Совети | 1938 | 1995 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR Вярхоўны Савет Беларускай ССР | 1938 | 1991 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR Eesti NSV Ülemnõukogu | 1940 | 1992 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR საქართველოს სსრ უმაღლესი საბჭო | 1938 | 1992 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Karelo-Finnish SSR Верховный Совет Карело-Финской ССР | 1940 | 1956 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR Қазақ КСР-нiң Жоғарғы Кеңесi | 1937 | 1995 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz SSR Кыргыз ССР Жогорку Совети | 1938 | 1993 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR Latvijas PSR Augstākā Padome | 1940 | 1990 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR Lietuvos TSR Aukščiausioji Taryba | 1940 | 1990 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR Совиетул Супрем ал РСС Молдовеняскэ | 1941 | 1991 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR Верховный Совет РСФСР | 1938 | 1993 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR Совети Олӣ РСС Тоҷикистон | 1937 | 1994 | ||
 Turkmenistan | Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR Түркменистан ССР Ёкары Советы | 1938 | 1992 | |
| Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR Верховна Рада Української РСР | 1937 | 1991 | ||
| Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR Ўзбекистон ССР Олий Совети | 1938 | 1991 |