[1]: 34  In addition, an officeholder would be responsible for coordinating the activities of ministries, state committees, and other bodies subordinated to the government.

It was expected that a First Deputy gave these organs guidance in an expeditious manner to ensure the implementation of plans for economic and social development and to check if the orders and decisions of the government were being followed.

[3] Finally, a first deputy was by right a member of the government Presidium, its highest decision-making organ.

Lavrentiy Beria spent the shortest time in office, serving for 113 days.

At more than seventeen years, Vyacheslav Molotov spent the longest time in office, and held his position for most of Joseph Stalin's chairmanship, as well as through the chairmanships of Georgy Malenkov and Nikolai Bulganin.