Ayaz Mutallibov

Ayaz Niyazi oghlu Mutallibov (12 May 1938 – 27 March 2022) was an Azerbaijani politician who served as the first president of Azerbaijan. He was the last leader of Soviet Azerbaijan, and first President of Azerbaijan from 18 May 1990 until 6 March 1992 and from 14 May until 18 May 1992.

He rose through the ranks of the Azerbaijan Communist Party during Soviet Azerbaijan before becoming leader of the party in 1990. Later that year, the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR elected Mutallibov as the first President of Azerbaijan 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. Both of his parents were from Shamakhi.

In 1956, Ayaz Mutallibov graduated from the secondary school #189 in Baku. During his youth he was fond of jazz music. He was a member of the school volleyball team. In 1956–62, Mutallibov attended the Azerbaijan State Institute of Petroleum and Chemistry. However, in 2016, the ex-president of Azerbaijan said that he did not support the putschists.

In September 1991, amid the collapse of the Soviet Union and independence of Azerbaijan, Mutallibov dissolved the Communist Party of Azerbaijan declared himself President of Azerbaijan in an uncontested election. Mutallibov negotiated with the opposition, in particularly the Popular Front party, during his presidency. In April 2000, his followers in Baku declared the formation of the new Civil Union Party. In 2003 he joined the Azerbaijan Social Democratic Party (ASDP) and became its co-chairman in exile. His son Azad died of cancer on 9 August 2011, leaving only Zaur. In July 2012, Mutallibov returned from exile with the permission of President Ilham Aliyev to attend his son's funeral.

Personal life

Mutallibov was married to Adila Mutallibova, who died in 2019. Mutalibov met his wife in 1956 at the birthday party of a mutual friend. 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, and The Beatles, for which he was often criticized by a Komsomol newspaper.