 The proceedings were televised, and for the first time since the 1920s, voting was not unanimous.In the months following the conference, Gorbachev focused on redesigning and streamlining the party apparatus; the Central Committee staff—which then numbered around 3,000—was halved, while various Central Committee departments were merged to cut down the overall number from twenty to nine.In March and April 1989, elections to the new Congress were held.