Politburo

Politburo, or Political Bureau of the Central Committee is the name for the highest political governing body of most Communist parties. From 1952 to 1966 it was called in the Soviet Union as a Political Bureau and in Romania in July 1965 to December 1989 Executive Committee. Its members ( 5-40 ) are elected by the Central Committee (CC ) of the respective parties. Members are mostly secretaries of the Central Committee, regional party leaders and government officials such as the Prime Minister and the minister if the Communist Party is in government. There are full voting members and non-voting candidates who can attend meetings.

Order and line

The Politburo directs the work of the party between the plenary sessions of the Central Committee. It is the real political power center of the party. In communist countries, it has authority to issue against the respective Governments of the States in all major tasks, especially in the economic, foreign and information policy ( censorship).

It is run as a collective body of a mostly very powerful First Secretary or a Secretary-General. In the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the term 1952-1966 First Secretary, before and after the Secretary General. In the SED, there were 1949 to 1950 a board with a Politburo and then a Politburo of the Central Committee with a First Secretary and since 1976 a Secretary-General.

The work of the Politburo to be supported by the Secretariat of the Central Committee. Practically, the Politburo was too different and dominated times in different parties also by the Secretariat.

Formal choice and control standards and actual practice

The Politburo is elected by the Central Committee (CC ) of the party and controlled. Practically, however, based most votes in the Central Committee on proposals of the Politburo. Different proposals are rather uncommon, since so-called parliamentary groups were considered in the bodies of the party as Subversion and party- injurious behavior, which was followed by determination of the respective parties by often harsh sanctions.