Vitebsk Created 1917 Abolished 1918 Number of members 9 Number of Uyezd Electoral Commissions 11 Number of Urban Electoral Commissions 2 Number of Parishes 195 Sources: [ 1] [ 2]
The Vitebsk electoral district (Russian : Витебский избирательный округ ) was a constituency created for the 1917 Russian Constituent Assembly election . The electoral district covered the Vitebsk Governorate .[ 3] White Russian separatism was a negligible force in the electoral district.[ 4]
On May 9–10, 1917 the 1st Latgallian Latvian Congress was held, which demanded the separation of Latgale from the Vitebsk governorate and integration with Latvia.[ 5] In the Latgale region, which had an ethnic Latvian population and would later get annexed to independent Latvia , the Bolsheviks received over 50% of the votes cast.[ 6] Nevertheless, Latgale had a notably weaker Bolshevik vote than neighbouring Livonia (with 72% Bolshevik vote) and the Latvian Rifles regiment (96% Bolshevik vote), possibly linked to opposition to Bolshevik policies from the Catholic Church and Jewish business sectors.[ 7] The socio-economic conditions were different in Latgale than other Latvian regions, having a less educated and more religiously oriented population.[ 8]
Candidates
List 1 – Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Andrius Bulota , former State Duma deputy, was the third candidate on the list of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Candidates of List 1[ 9]
1.
Alexander Gizetti
Petrograd , writer. Gizetti was nominated by the Central Committee of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party;
2.
Maxim Boldysh
Bolshoye Pokotino village, Nikolaev Volost, Polotsky Uyezd , Peasant
3.
Andrius Bulota
Petrograd , former member of the 2nd and 3rd State Dumas , member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies
4.
Yuda Novakovsky
Petrograd , member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies
5.
Iosif Ruskul
Skinchi village, Mikhailovsky Volost , Lutsinsky Uyezd , Peasant
6.
Mikhail Tsetlin
Chairman of the Vitebsk Committee of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party
7.
Daniil Vasilevsky
Representing the peasantry of Polotsky Uyezd . Popular educator. Chairman of Polotsky Uyezd Zemstvo Council.
8.
Alexander Prokofiev
Vitebsk . Popular educator. Representing the peasants of the Gorodoksky Uyezd , member of the Vitebsk Provincial Executive committee of the Soviet of Peasants Deputies
9.
Nerses Aslanov
Vitebsk . Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Provincial Soviet of Peasants Deputies
10.
Grigory Katzenelenbogen
Rezhitsa . Chairman of the Rezhitsa Soviet of Workers, Soldiers and Peasants Deputies
11.
Mark Lyakhovsky
Zaprudye village, Staroselskaya Volost, Vitebsky Uyezd . Peasant
12.
Vasily Moiseev
Vitebsk . Chairman of the Provincial Soviet of Peasants Deputies
List 2 – Trudovik Popular-Socialist Party
Alexander Zarudny , who had served as Minister of Justice in the Russian Provisional Government , headed the Trudovik list
Candidates of List 2[ 9]
1.
Alexander Zarudny
2.
Leon Bramson
3.
Vladimir Karpov
4.
Mikhail Bogdanov
5.
Nikolai Kislyakov
6.
Alexander Likhnitsky
7.
Alexander Kyusse-Tyuz
8.
Alexander Shestov
9.
Evgeny Alonov
10.
Vasily Tretyakov
11.
Mikhail Demidov
12.
Vasily Stolpovsky
13.
Pavel Solovyov
List 3 – Kadets
Maxim Vinaver headed the Kadet list
Candidates of List 3[ 9]
1.
Maxim Vinaver
2.
Vasily Stepanov
3.
Emmanuil Dubossarsky
4.
Olga Nechaeva
5.
Parfeniy Vasiliev
6.
Evgeny Senkovsky
7.
Semyon Burkov
8.
Alexey Luzgin
9.
Ivan Abmorshev
List 4 – Latgale Socialist Party of Working People
Candidates of List 4[ 9]
1.
Francis Kemps
2.
Aloizijs Skruls
3.
Zenons Laizāns
4.
Francs Vilcāns
List 5 – Bolsheviks
Lev Kamenev headed the Bolshevik list
Felix Dzerzhinsky occupied the second slot on the Bolshevik list
List 6 – Bloc of the Vitebsk Belorussian People's Union and the Orthodox Parishes of the Faith of the Polotsk Diocese
Candidates of List 6[ 9]
1.
Georgy Polonsky
2.
Boris Byalynitsky-Birulya
3.
Foma Litvinov
4.
Mikhail Sokolov
5.
Alexey Sukharev
6.
Trofim Bavshuto
7.
Fedor Grigorovich
8.
Trofim Zaitsev
9.
Andrei Starovoitov
10.
Foma Podkhilko
List 7 – Jewish National Electoral Committee
Naphtali Friedman headed the list of the Jewish National Electoral Committee.
List 8 – Vitebsk Provincial Union of Land Owners and Society of Old Believers of Vitebsk Governorate
Sergey Kotlyarevsky headed the joint list of Land Owners and Old Believers
Candidates of List 8[ 9]
1.
Sergey Kotlyarevsky
2.
Gury Gusakov
3.
Leonid Kopatsinsky
4.
Andrey Kovalev
5.
Andrey Janson
6.
Varfolomey Saveliev
7.
Khristian Bigge
8.
Vatslav Kossov
9.
Bronislav Mirsky
List 9 – Mensheviks and Bund
Akaki Chkhenkeli headed the Menshevik-Bund list
List 10 – United Polish Organizations
Roman Catholic metropolitan archbishop Eduard von der Ropp headed the Polish list
Candidates of List 10[ 9]
1.
Eduard von der Ropp
2.
Henry Dymsha
3.
Stanisław Łopaciński
4.
Konrad Nedzvetsky
5.
Józef Czesnowicki
6.
Vikenty Baliul
7.
Adam Buynitsky
8.
Stanisław Zdanowicz
List 11 – Socialists-Federalists and Peasants of Latgale
Candidates of List 11[ 9]
1.
Antons Skrinda
2.
Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics
3.
Antons Laizāns
4.
Valeriya Seyl'
5.
Aloīzijs Bojārs
6.
Nikolay Manuilov
7.
Pēteris Zalāns
8.
Doroško Donāts
9.
Eduards Kozlovskis
10.
Antons Zvidrins
11.
Viktors Gabranovs
12.
Daniels Gabruševs
Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics withdrew his candidature before the election, leaving 11 candidates on the list.[ 9]
List 12 – Lettish Democrats-Nationalists
Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics , later the Prime Minister of Latvia , was the second candidate of the Lettish Democrat-Nationalist list
Candidates of List 12[ 9]
1.
Jurijs Pabergs
2.
Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics
3.
Ivans Grišāns
4.
Iosifs Kindzuls
5.
Petrs Lazdans
6.
Staņislavs Kambala
7.
Donats Lačkajs-Lače
List 13 – Peasants of Vitebsk Governorate
Candidates of List 13[ 9]
1.
Alexander Lobus
2.
Nikolay Novikov
3.
Boris Tyasto (withdrew his candidature - replaced by Ivan Zagulov)
4.
Yakov Alekseev
5.
Vladimir Puzynya
6.
Semyon Gushchenko
7.
Tit Kovalenok
List 14 – Citizens of the Bolets Volost, Gorodoksky Uyezd
Candidates of List 14[ 9]
1.
Ivan Kuzminsky
Kuzminsky was member of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries , peasant from Potashenskaya Volost, Gorodoksky Uyezd .[ 9]
Results
Vitebsk
Party
Vote
%
Seats
List 5 - Bolsheviks
287,101
51.22
6
List 1 - Socialist-Revolutionaries
150,279
26.81
3
List 11 - Socialist-Federalists and Peasants of Latgale
26,990
4.82
List 7 - Jewish National Electoral Committee
24,790
4.42
List 9 - Mensheviks -Bund
12,471
2.22
List 10 - United Polish Organizations
10,556
1.88
List 13 - Peasants of Vitebsk Governorate
9,752
1.74
List 6 - Vitebsk Belarusian People’s Union and Orthodox Parishes of the Faith of the Polotsk Diocese
9,019
1.61
List 3 - Kadets
8,132
1.45
List 8 - Landowners and Old Believers
6,098
1.09
List 12 - Lettish Democrats-Nationalists
5,881
1.05
List 4 - Latgallian Popular Committee and Latgallian Socialist Party of Working People
5,118
0.91
List 2 - Popular Socialists
3,599
0.64
List 14 - Citizens of Boletskii Volost of Gorodsky Uezd
752
0.13
Total:
560,538
9
[ 11] [ 12] [ 13]
Deputies Elected
Boldysh
SR
Bulota
SR
Gizetti
SR
Ceshejko-Sochacki
Bolshevik
Dzerzhinsky
Bolshevik
Kamenev
Bolshevik
Pinson
Bolshevik
Rivkin
Bolshevik
Sarkisyants
Bolshevik
[ 14]
Vitebsk town
In Vitebsk town, the Bolsheviks got 11,875 votes (34.8%), the Jewish National Electoral Committee 5,772 votes (16.9%), the Menshevik-Bund list 3,822 votes (11.3%), the White Russian/Orthodox list 3,058 votes (8.9%), the SRs 3,053 votes (8.9%), the Kadets 2,365 votes (6.9%), the Polish list 2,169 votes (6.4%), the Popular Socialists 958 votes (2.9%), the Lettish Democrats-Nationalists 395 votes (1.1%), the Landowners/Old Believers list 375 votes (1.1%), the peasants' list 197 votes (0.5%), Latgallian Socialist-Federalists 68 votes (0.2%), Latgallian nationalists 20 votes (0.1%) and 12 votes for the Boletsky volost citizens' list.[ 13]
References
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