National holiday: Independence Day, 28 May
Constitution: adopted NA April 1978; writing a new constitution
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Heydar ALIYEV (since 18 June 1993); election
last held 3 October 1993 (next to be held NA); results - Heydar ALIYEV
won 97% of vote
head of government: Acting Prime Minister Fuad QULIYEV (since 9
October 1994); First Deputy Prime Ministers Abbas ABBASOV, Samed
SADYKOV, Vahid AKHMEDOV (since NA)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president and
confirmed by the Mejlis
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Milli Mejlis): elections last held 30 September and
14 October 1990 for the Supreme Soviet (next expected to be held
September 1995 for the National Assembly); seats for Supreme Soviet -
(360 total) Communists 280, Democratic Bloc 45 (grouping of opposition
parties), other 15, vacant 20; note - on 19 May 1992 the Supreme
Soviet was prorogued in favor of a Popular Front-dominated National
Council; seats - (50 total) Popular Front 25, opposition elements 25
note: since June 1993 ALIYEV has rotated in several supporters to
replace Popular Front adherents
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Azerbaijan Popular Front (APF), Ebulfez
ELCIBEY, chairman; Musavat Party, Isa GAMBAR, chairman; National
Independence Party, Etibar MAMEDOV, chairman; Social Democratic Party
(SDP), Araz ALIZADE, chairman; Communist Party, Ramiz AKHMEDOV,
chairman; People's Freedom Party, Yunus OGUZ, chairman; Independent
Social Democratic Party, Arif YUNUSOV and Leila YUNOSOVA, cochairmen;
New Azerbaijan Party, Heydar ALIYEV, chairman; Boz Gurd Party,
Iskander HAMIDOV, chairman; Azerbaijan Democratic Independence Party,
Qabil HUSEYNLI, chairman; Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, Ali Akram,
chairman; Ana Veten Party, Fazail AGAMALIYEV; Azerbaijan Democratic
Party, Sardar Jalaloglu MAMEDOV; Azerbaijan Democratic Party of
Proprietors (DPOP), Makhmud MAMEDOV; Azerbaijan Patriotic Solidarity
Party, Sabir RUSTAMHANLI; Azerbaijan Republic Reform Party, Fuad
ASADOV; Communist Party of Azerbaijan (unregistered), Sayad SAYADOV;
Equality of the Peoples Party, Faukhraddin AYDAYEV; Independent
Azerbaijan Party, Nizami SULEYMANOV; Labor Party of Azerbaijan,
Sabutai HAJIYEV; Liberal-Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, Lyudmila
NIKOLAYEVNA; National Enlightenment Party, Hajy Osman EFENDIYEV;
National Liberation Party, Panak SHAKHSEVEV; Peasant Party, Firuz
MUSTAFAYEV; Radical Party of Azerbaijan, Malik SHARIFOV; United
Azerbaijan Party, Kerrar ABILOV; Vetan Adzhagy Party, Zakir TAGIYEV
Other political or pressure groups: self-proclaimed Armenian
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement
Member of: BSEC, CCC, CIS, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IDB,
IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE, PFP,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO