Communist Party of Azerbaijan

This article is about the ruling party of the Azerbaijan SSR. For the post-Soviet Azerbaijan party, see Azerbaijan Communist Party (1993).
Azerbaijan Communist Party
Founded 20 February 1920
Dissolved 16 September 1991
Preceded by Hummat Party
Adalat Party
Ahrar Party of Iran
Baku bolsheviks
Ideology Marxism–Leninism
Communism
Colours Red

The Azerbaijan Communist Party (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Kommunist Partiyası, Russian: Коммунистическая партия Азербайджана) was the ruling political party in the Azerbaijan SSR, making it effectively a branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It was formed on February 20, 1920, when the Hummat Party, the Adalat Party, the Ahrar Party of Iran and Baku Bolsheviks joined together to establish the Azerbaijan Communist Party. On April 1 of the same year, the Fifth Cabinet of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic gave its resignations and all the power to the Azerbaijan Communist Party. The party ruled the Azerbaijan SSR until 16 September 1991 when it was formally disbanded. Nevertheless, former leaders and members of the communists continued to play a role in the family- and patronage-based political system. The Azerbaijan Communist Party won the first multi-party elections in Azerbaijan that took place on 30 September and 14 October 1990 for the Supreme Soviet obtaining 280 out of 360 seats.

First secretaries of the Azerbaijan Communist Party of the Azerbaijan SSR

No. Name Took Office Left Office
1 Mirza Davud Huseynov February 12, 1920 October 23, 1920
2 Grigory Kaminsky October 23, 1920 July, 1921
3 Sergey Kirov July, 1921 January, 1926
4 Levon Mirzoyan January, 1926 August, 1929
5 Nikolay Gikalo August, 1929 June, 1930
6 Vladimir Polonsky June, 1930 November, 1933
7 Ruben Rubenov (Mkrtchyan) January 1, 1933 December 12, 1933
8 Mir Jafar Baghirov November, 1933 July, 1953
9 Mir Teymur Yaqubov July, 1953 February, 1954
10 Imam Mustafayev February 7, 1954 June 12, 1959
11 Veli Akhundov July 11, 1959 July 14, 1969
12 Heydar Aliyev July 14, 1969 December 3, 1982
13 Kamran Baghirov December 3, 1982 May 21, 1988
14 Abdulrahman Vezirov May 21, 1988 January 20, 1990
15 Ayaz Mütallibov January 24, 1990 September 16, 1991

Trivia

Azerbaijani nationalist leader, anti-communist politician and former president Abulfaz Elchibey was also a member of the Azerbaijan Communist Party. He joined the Party in 1972.