The abolition of Article 6 - If the Communist Psrty could not be reformed than one logical conclusion to this was to end the political monopoly of the Party. Article 6 of the Soviet Constitution stated that the Communist Party held the position of 'the leading and guiding force of Soviet Society and the nucleus of its political system, of all state organisations and public orginisations.' This Article enshrined the one-party state and therefore became a symbolic target for critics who wished to push towards real democracy. Andrei Sakharov was one of the leading critics who called for the ending of Article 6. For conservatives within the Communist Party, the Article was non-negotiable. Faced with growing criticism from liberals and continued resistance from conservatives, Gorbachev finally repealed it in March 1990 and thus ended the Party's monopoly on power. Other political parties could now be established to contest elections.
In the non-Russian republics support for national groups grew, which later led to the independence of many countries. In June, he dramatically resigned from the Communist Party, at last freeing himself from the ties to the Party and to socialism.
The political vacuum in central government was filled, at least temporarily, by the election of Gorbachev to the position of President of the USSR by the Congress of People's Deputies. Presidential rule replaced Party rule, at least in theory. In practice, power had shifted from the centre to the regions.