This is the list of the heads of state of Azerbaijan from 1918 to the present. 25 people have been head of the Azerbaijani state since its establishment in 1918. It includes leaders of short-lived Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918–1920), of Soviet Azerbaijan (1920–1991), and of post-Soviet era.
Multiple terms in office, consecutive or otherwise, are listed and counted in the first column (administration number) and the second column counts individuals.
The youngest head of state by his accession to office was Grigory Kaminsky, at age 25, and the oldest Heydar Aliyev, at age 70.
Leaders of Azerbaijan since 1918
| Colour key (for political parties) |
|---|
None Musavat Ittifaq al-Muslimin New Azerbaijan Party Azerbaijani Popular Front Party |
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918–1920)
Chairman of the Azerbaijani National Council
| No. | President (birth–death) | Term of office | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Mammad Amin Rasulzade Məmməd Əmin Rəsulzadə (1884–1955) | 28 May 1918 | 7 December 1918 | 193 days | Musavat | 1. Rasulzade I | 1918 | ||
| Regarded as the first President in the modern sense; won the Battle of Baku; remained neutral on the Russian Civil War; established Azerbaijani Armed Forces. | |||||||||
Chairman of Parliament
| No. | Chairman of Parliament (birth–death) | Term of office | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 2 | Alimardan Topchubashov Əlimərdan Topçubaşov (1862–1934) | 7 December 1918 | 27 April 1920 | 1 year, 142 days | Ittifaq al-Muslimin | 2. Topchubashov I | 1918 | ||
| Achieved the de facto recognition of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. | |||||||||
Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (1922–1936) and Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (1936–1991)
Chairman of the Presidium of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan SSR
| No. | Chairman (birth–death) | Term of office | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 3 | Mirza Davud Huseynov Mirzə Davud Hüseynov (1894–1938) | 28 April 1920 | 23 July 1920 | 86 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 3. Hüseynov I | — | ||
| During the Great Purge, he was arrested, accused of plotting against the Soviet state, sentenced to death and executed. | |||||||||
| 4 | Victor Naneyshvili Viktor Naneyşvili (1878–1940) | 23 July 1920 | 9 September 1920 | 48 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 4. Naneyşvili I | — | ||
| During the Great Purge, he was arrested, accused of plotting against the Soviet state, sentenced to death and executed. | |||||||||
| 5 | Elena Stasova Yelena Stasova (1873–1966) | 9 September 1920 | 15 September 1920 | 6 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 5. Stasova I | — | ||
| Shortest serving leader of communist Azerbaijan | |||||||||
| 6 | Vladimir Dumbadze Vladimir Dumbadze (1879–1934) | 15 September 1920 | 24 November 1920 | 70 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 6. Dumbadze I | — | ||
| During the Great Purge, he was arrested, accused of plotting against the Soviet state, sentenced to death and executed. | |||||||||
Executive Secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan SSR
| No. | Secretary (birth–death) | Term of office | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 7 | Grigory Kaminsky Qriqori Kaminski (1895–1938) | 24 October 1920 | 24 July 1921 | 273 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 7. Kaminski I | — | ||
| During the Great Purge, he was arrested, accused of plotting against the Soviet state, sentenced to death and executed. | |||||||||
First Secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan SSR
| No. | First Secretary (birth–death) | Term of office | Political party | Government | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 8 | Sergey Kirov Sergey Kirov (1886–1934) | 24 July 1921 | 5 January 1925 | 3 years, 165 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 8. Kirov I | ||
| Enforced Soviet rule over unwilling Azerbaijani nationalists; played an important role in helping to deliver Baku’s oil to Soviet Russia. | ||||||||
| 9 | Ruhulla Akhundov Ruhulla Axundov (1897–1938) | 5 January 1925 | 21 January 1926 | 1 year, 16 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 9. Axundov I | ||
| During the Great Purge, he was arrested, accused of plotting against the Soviet state, sentenced to death and executed. | ||||||||
| 10 | Levon Mirzoyan Levon Mirzoyan (1887–1939) | 21 January 1926 | 11 July 1929 | 3 years, 171 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 10. Mirzoyan I | ||
| Purged Azerbaijani intelligentsia, communist leaders who had sympathized with the opposition or who might have once leaned toward Pan-Turkism. | ||||||||
| 11 | Nikolay Gikalo Nikolay Gikalo (1897–1938) | 11 July 1929 | 5 August 1930 | 1 year, 25 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 11. Gikalo I | ||
| During the Great Purge, he was arrested, accused of plotting against the Soviet state, sentenced to death and executed. | ||||||||
| 12 | Vladimir Polonsky Vladimir Polonski (1893–1937) | 5 August 1930 | 7 February 1933 | 2 years, 186 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 12. Polonski I | ||
| During the Great Purge, he was arrested, accused of plotting against the Soviet state, sentenced to death and executed. | ||||||||
| 13 | Ruben Rubenov Ruben Rubenov (1894–1937) | 7 February 1933 | 10 December 1933 | 306 days | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 13. Rubenov I | ||
| During the Great Purge, he was arrested, accused of plotting against the Soviet state, sentenced to death and executed. | ||||||||
| 14 | Mir Jafar Baghirov Mir Cəfər Bağırov (1896–1956) | 10 December 1933 | 6 April 1953 | 19 years, 117 days | Communist | 14. Bağırov I | ||
| Followed Stalin's orders without question; Purged Azerbaijani intelligentsia, communist leaders who had sympathized with the opposition or who might have once leaned toward Pan-Turkism. | ||||||||
| 15 | Mir Teymur Yaqubov Mir Teymur Yaqubov (1904–1970) | 6 April 1953 | 17 February 1954 | 317 days | Communist | 15. Yaqubov I | ||
| 16 | Imam Mustafayev Imam Mustafayev (1910–1997) | 17 February 1954 | 10 July 1959 | 5 years, 143 days | Communist | 16. Mustafayev I | ||
| Restored Azerbaijani language as the official language of the Azerbaijan SSR. | ||||||||
| 17 | Vali Akhundov Vəli Axundov (1916–1986) | 10 July 1959 | 14 July 1969 | 10 years, 4 days | Communist | 17. Axundov I | ||
| He is credited in Azerbaijan for rebuffing the Armenian claims for Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in 1965. | ||||||||
| 18 | Heydar Aliyev Heydər Əliyev (1923–2003) | 14 July 1969 | 3 December 1982 | 13 years, 142 days | Communist | 18. H.Əliyev I | ||
| Temporarily improved economic conditions and promoted alternative industries to the declining oil industry. | ||||||||
| 19 | Kamran Baghirov Kamran Bağırov (1933–2000) | 3 December 1982 | 21 May 1988 | 5 years, 170 days | Communist | 19. Bağırov I | ||
| He was strongly criticized for worsening economic conditions in Azerbaijan. | ||||||||
| 20 | Abdurrahman Vazirov Əbdürrəhman Vəzirov (1930–2022) | 21 May 1988 | 25 January 1990 | 1 year, 249 days | Communist | 20. Vəzirov I | ||
| Shared internationalist values and aspirations for political reform but he could not cope effectively with the complex political situation in Azerbaijan. | ||||||||
| 21 | Ayaz Mutallibov Ayaz Mütəllibov (1938–2022) | 25 January 1990 | 14 September 1991 | 1 year, 232 days | Communist | 21. Mütəllibov I | ||
| Black January. | ||||||||
Chairperson of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR
Republic of Azerbaijan (1991–present)
| No. | President (birth–death) | Term of office | Elected | Political party | Government | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| (21) | Ayaz Mutallibov Azerbaijani: Ayaz Mütəllibov (1938–2022) | 18 May 1990 | 6 March 1992 | 1 year, 293 days | 1990 | Communist | 22. Mütəllibov II | ||
| 8 September 1991 | 6 March 1992 | 1991 | |||||||
| First Nagorno-Karabakh War; Khojaly Massacre; Capture of Shusha; 1991 Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdown. Forced to submit his resignation after pressure from Azerbaijan Popular Front. | |||||||||
| — | Yagub Mammadov (acting) Azerbaijani: Yaqub Məmmədov (born 1941) | 6 March 1992 | 14 May 1992 | 69 days | — | None | — | ||
| Ousted by the armed revolt led by Azerbaijan Popular Front. | |||||||||
| (21) | Ayaz Mutallibov Azerbaijani: Ayaz Mütəllibov (1938–2022) | 14 May 1992 | 18 May 1992 | 4 days | — | None | Mütəllibov II | ||
| Deposed from his duty after takeover by Azerbaijan Popular Front. | |||||||||
| — | Isa Gambar (acting) Azerbaijani: İsa Qəmbər (born 1957) | 18 May 1992 | 17 June 1992 | 30 days | — | Musavat | — | ||
| Took temporary duties of president until the national elections in 1992. | |||||||||
| 22 | Abulfaz Elchibey Azerbaijani: Əbülfəz Elçibəy (1938–2000) | 17 June 1992 | 24 June 1993 | 1 year, 7 days | 1992 | Azerbaijani Popular Front Party | 23. Elçibəy I | ||
| Among the Soviet republics the Russian army was first withdrawn from Azerbaijan; The national currency of Azerbaijan was put into circulation; State Treasure Foundation was established; Entrance examinations to the high and vocational educational was held with test method for the first time; The foundation of private institutions in the education field was permitted; The passage to the Latin alphabet; Founded the SOCAR; Re-established Azerbaijani Armed Forces; Operation Goranboy. | |||||||||
| — | Heydar Aliyev Azerbaijani: Heydər Əliyev (1923–2003) | 24 June 1993 | 10 October 1993 | 10 years, 129 days | — | New Azerbaijan Party | 24. H.Əliyev II | ||
| (18) | 10 October 1993 | 3 October 2003 | 1993 | ||||||
| 3 October 1998 | 31 October 2003 | 1998 | |||||||
| Founded the YAP; Heydar Aliyev's cult of personality; Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline; South Caucasus Pipeline; 1994 Baku Metro bombings. Survived coup attempt in 1995. | |||||||||
| 23 | Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijani: İlham Əliyev (born 1961) | 31 October 2003 | 15 October 2008 | 22 years, 46 days | 2003 | New Azerbaijan Party | 25. İ.Əliyev I | ||
| 15 October 2008 | 9 October 2013 | 2008 | |||||||
| 9 October 2013 | 11 April 2018 | 2013 | |||||||
| 11 April 2018 | 7 February 2024 | 2018 | |||||||
| 7 February 2024 | Incumbent | 2024 | |||||||
| Azerbaijan was elected as a non-permanent member to United Nations Security Council; foiled 2007 Baku terrorist plot; Azerbaijan State Oil Academy shooting; 2010 Mardakert skirmishes; 2011 Azerbaijani protests; Eurovision Song Contest 2012; 2013 Baku protests; 2014 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes; 2014 Nagorno-Karabakh Mil Mi-24 shootdown; 2015 European Games; 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes; Baku City Circuit; 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games; 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games; Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea; 2019 Baku protests; 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes; 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Survived coup attempt in 2025. | |||||||||
Timeline
See also
- President of Azerbaijan
- Prime Minister of Azerbaijan
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