Ayaz Mutallibov | |
|---|---|
Ayaz Mütəllibov | |
 Mutallibov in 1992 | |
| 1stPresident of Azerbaijan | |
| In office 18 May 1990[a] – 6 March 1992 | |
| Prime Minister | Hasan Hasanov |
| Preceded by | Position established (Himself as First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party) |
| Succeeded by | Yaqub Mammadov (acting) |
| In office 14 – 18 May 1992 | |
| Prime Minister | Firuz Mustafayev (acting) Rahim Huseynov |
| Preceded by | Yaqub Mammadov (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Isa Gambar (acting) Abulfaz Elchibey |
| First Secretary of theAzerbaijan Communist Party | |
| In office 25 January 1990 – 14 September 1991 | |
| General Secretary | Mikhail Gorbachev |
| Preceded by | Abdulrahman Vezirov |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished (Himself as President of Azerbaijan) |
| Full member of the28thPolitburo | |
| In office 14 July 1990 – 29 August 1991 | |
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers of theAzerbaijan SSR | |
| In office 27 January 1989 – 26 January 1990 | |
| First Secretary | Abdurrahman Vazirov |
| Preceded by | Hasan Sayidov |
| Succeeded by | Hasan Hasanov |
| Chairman of the State Planning Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR | |
| In office 30 October 1982 – 27 January 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Sabit Abbasaliyev |
| Succeeded by | Rahim Huseynov |
| Minister of Local Industry of the Azerbaijan SSR | |
| In office 4 July 1979 – 30 October 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Alibala Asadullayev |
| Succeeded by | Sanan Akhundov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ayaz Niyazi oghlu Mutallibov (1938-05-12)12 May 1938 Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR |
| Died | 27 March 2022(2022-03-27) (aged 83) Baku,Azerbaijan |
| Party |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature |  |
Ayaz Niyazi oghlu Mutallibov[b] (12 May 1938 – 27 March 2022)[1][2] was an Azerbaijani politician who served as the first president ofAzerbaijan. He was the last leader ofSoviet Azerbaijan, and firstPresident of Azerbaijan from 18 May 1990 until 6 March 1992 and from 14 May until 18 May 1992.
He rose through the ranks of theAzerbaijan Communist Party during Soviet Azerbaijan before becoming leader of the party in 1990. Later that year, the Supreme Soviet ofAzerbaijan SSR elected Mutallibov as the first President ofAzerbaijan SSR. In September 1991, amid the collapse of the Soviet Union and independence of Azerbaijan, Mutallibov declared himself President of Azerbaijan in an uncontested election.[3] He was ousted from power in May 1992 when he tried to cancel the forthcomingpresidential election.[3]
Mutallibov was born on 12 May 1938, inBaku to the family of a physician and laterWorld War II veteran, Niyazi Ashraf oghlu Mutallibov (Azerbaijani:Niyazi Əşrəf oğlu Mütəllibov), and gynaecologist Kubra Mutallibova (died in 1988).[4] Both of his parents were fromShamakhi.
In 1956, Ayaz Mutallibov graduated from the secondary school #189 in Baku. During his youth he was fond ofjazz music. He was a member of the school volleyball team. In 1956–62, Mutallibov attended theAzerbaijan State Institute of Petroleum and Chemistry.[4]
In 1964, he became the director of the Baku Refrigerator Factory,[citation needed] and in 1974, he was appointed the General Director of the "BakElectroBytMash" State Industrial Company.[4]
In 1977, he was appointed Second Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party Committee in the Narimanov District of Baku. In 1979, he was promoted to the republic's Council of Ministers, assuming the post of Minister of Local Industry of the Azerbaijan SSR. In 1982, he became Chairman of the State Planning Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR. In January 1989, he was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR.
On 24 January 1990, four days after Soviet troops enteredBaku, marking the beginning of theBlack January crackdown, Mutallibov, at this point inMoscow, is appointed the First Secretary of theAzerbaijan Communist Party.
On 18 May 1990, the Supreme Soviet ofAzerbaijan SSR elected Mutallibov as the first President ofAzerbaijan SSR. In December 1990, at Mutallibov's initiative, the Supreme Soviet of theAzerbaijan SSR officially renamed the country to theAzerbaijan Republic and adopted the Declaration of Sovereignty.
On 17 March 1991, under pressure from Mutallibov, the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan voted for the participation of Azerbaijan in the referendum on the fate of theSoviet Union. On 19 August 1991, according to some reports, while on a visit toTehran, Mutalibov made a statement in support of theSoviet coup attempt of 1991.[5] However, in 2016, the ex-president of Azerbaijan said that he did not support the putschists.[6]
In September 1991, amid the collapse of the Soviet Union and independence of Azerbaijan, Mutallibov dissolved theCommunist Party of Azerbaijan[7] declared himself President of Azerbaijan in an uncontested election.[3] Mutallibov negotiated with the opposition, in particularly the Popular Front party, during his presidency.[3] After pressure from the Popular Front, Mutallibov established a parliament where power was divided between opposition figures and the communist old guard.[3]
On 6 March 1992, under pressure fromAzerbaijan Popular Front amid substantial Azerbaijani losses in theFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War, Mutallibov was forced to submit his resignation to theNational Assembly of Azerbaijan. He handed the presidency to his ally Yaqub Mammadov.[8][3] On 14 May, the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan, dominated by the former members of theCommunist Party of Azerbaijan, heard the case onKhojaly Massacre, relieved Mutallibov of any responsibility, and reversed his prior resignation, restoring him as thePresident of Azerbaijan.[8]
Upon taking the powers of the presidency again, Mutallibov cancelled the forthcoming presidential elections, which were set to take place on 7 June 1992.[8] A day later, armed forces led by theAzerbaijan Popular Front under the command of Police ColonelIsgandar Hamidov, took control of the offices of theParliament of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani State Radio and Television, thereby deposing Mutallibov, who left forMoscow.[8][3] The defunct Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan was dissolved passing the duties to theNational Assembly of Azerbaijan formed by equal representation ofAzerbaijan Popular Front and former communists.Isa Gambar of the Popular Front party was subsequently made acting president; Gambar reinstated the upcoming presidential elections which were won byAbulfaz Elchibey.[8]
Mutallibov was in exile inMoscow from May 1992 until July 2012.[9] In April 2000, his followers in Baku declared the formation of the newCivil Union Party. In 2003 he joined theAzerbaijan Social Democratic Party (ASDP) and became its co-chairman in exile.[10] His son Azad died of cancer on 9 August 2011, leaving only Zaur.[11] in July 2012, Mutallibov returned from exile with the permission of PresidentIlham Aliyev to attend his son's funeral.[9] It was his first visit to the country after 1992.
He died at the age of 83 on 27 March 2022, in Baku after a long illness, having been hospitalized for some time.[12][13][14]
Mutallibov was married toAdila Mutallibova, who died in 2019.[15] Mutalibov met his wife in 1956 at the birthday party of a mutual friend.[16] They had two sons, Azad and Zaur, grandson Tahir and granddaughter Madina. In an interview with Express Gazeta, Mutalibov spoke about his youthful hobbies, saying he loved to listen to jazz,Elvis Presley, andThe Beatles, for which he was often criticized by aKomsomol newspaper.[16] In his youth he was also actively involved in sports and was fond of volleyball.[16]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party 1990–1991 | Succeeded by none |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by none | President of Azerbaijan 18 May 1990 – 6 March 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of Azerbaijan 14 May 1992 – 18 May 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Azerbaijan Democratic Republic | Heads of Parliament (1918–1920) |  |
|---|---|---|
| Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (1920–1991) | First secretaries of the Central Committee of theAzerbaijan Communist Party (1920–1991)
| |
| Republic of Azerbaijan (1991–present) | Presidents of Azerbaijan Republic (1991–present) | |
(a) Denotes acting | ||
| Azerbaijan Democratic Republic | |
|---|---|
| Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic | |
| Republic of Azerbaijan | |
* Denotes acting | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
.png)
.svg)
