guiding principle of the ideological and organizational structure of
the Party was the Leninist dictum known as democratic centralism. As
described in the statute, this principle provided in theory that the
leading organs of the Party were elected from bottom to top at general
meetings, conferences, and congresses; these organs were obliged from
time to time to give account of their activities before their Party
organizations.

Strict Party discipline was to be maintained under any circumstances,
the minority being subject to the majority; decisions were to be reached
on the basis of so-called free discussions but, from the moment a
decision was reached, unanimously or by a majority of votes, all Party
members were obliged to execute it without question; and the decisions
of the higher Party organs were binding on the lower organs. The statute
also provided that collective leadership was the highest principle of
the leadership of the Party and that the elected organs as well as the
basic Party organizations examined and solved collectively all Party
problems.

The Party statute considered the Party Congress as the highest Party
organ. The congress, usually called every four years, heard, examined,
and approved the reports of the Central Committee and of other central
Party organs; reviewed and made changes in the Party program and
statute; determined the Party's tactical line on major policy problems;
and elected the Central Committee and the Central Control and Auditing
Commission and fixed the number of members of these two bodies. In
actual practice, however, the Party Congress merely heard and approved
reports submitted by the Politburo.

According to the statute, the Central Committee, which should meet in
plenum at least once every four months, performed such formal functions
as electing both the Politburo for guiding the affairs of the Central
Committee between sessions and the Secretariat for "guiding the
day-to-day affairs of the Party, especially for organizing the control
of the execution of decisions and for the selection of cadres." During
the period between two congresses the Central Committee guided the
activities of the Party; represented the Party in its relationships with
other parties, organizations, and institutions; organized and guided
different Party institutions; named the editors of the Party's central
press organs and granted permission for publication of the local Party
press; distributed t