The World - News from April 16, 1989

The Congress of People’s Deputies, the Soviet Union’s new parliamentary body, will go into session for the first time May 25, the Tass news agency said. The date was announced in a decree of the Supreme Soviet that was signed by President Mikhail S. Gorbachev. The congress must meet within two months of being elected. Nationwide multi-candidate balloting for 1,500 seats in the congress was held March 26, and runoff elections were conducted April 9. But 199 of those seats remain unfilled. In those undecided districts, only one or two candidates ran March 26, but voters refused to give any of them a majority. New elections are being organized and balloting will take place in those districts May 14.