Azerbaijan Popular Front Party
Encyclopedia
The Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP) is the main opposition political party
in Azerbaijan
, founded in 1992 by Abulfaz Elchibey. After Elchibey's death in 2000, the party split into two factions, the reform wing led by Ali Kerimli and the classical wing led by Mirmahmud Miralioglu.
During 5 November 2000 (and 7 January 2001) parliamentary elections
, the party won 11.0 % of the popular vote and 6 out of 125 seats in the National Assembly of Azerbaijan
. Its candidate Gudrat Hasanguliyev won only 0.4 % of the popular vote in the 15 October 2003 presidential elections
. At the parliamentary elections
of 6 November 2005, APF joined the Freedom
block but won only one seat.
that united a number of informal public organisations into one, working towards independence from the Soviet Union.
The Popular Front of Azerbaijan was established on July 16, 1988 with the initiative of patriotic Azerbaijani
individuals as a result of movement of Azerbaijani people for freedom, sovereignty and democracy
. PFA came to unite a number of informal public organizations which were established in the 1980s to struggle for the independence of Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union
. In 1987 Əli Kərimli, a law school student, became the founder and leader of one of these informal organizations - "Yurd" ("Homeland"), that inspired and led thousands of students to the main square of Baku
city to protest against the Communist regime. As a result of this courageous step, a large-scale campaign of public demonstrations and meetings swept across Azerbaijan. Later the movement was suppressed by the special forces of the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Internal Affairs of USSR. Despite this fact, Popular Front of Azerbaijan was established and Yurd became an integral part of this movement.
In September 1989 the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan (SC), under pressure from PFA and its members in the SC, adopted the law on "Economic Sovereignty of Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic". As the result of an ongoing and unabating struggle under the leadership of PFA, the courage and defiance of Azerbaijani people in the face of Soviet oppression were recognised and celebrated across the former Soviet Union and around the world. In order to stop the growing popularity of PFA,and to stop the bloody pogroms of Armenians that left more than 130 Armenians dead, in January 1990, Soviet authorities sent the army into Baku city. Some 130 civilians were killed and 600 wounded. The main purpose of the Baku operation, headed by Dmitriy Yazov - Minister of Defense of former USSR, was to destroy the political structures of PFA. Some believe that the Communists' plans failed because PFA was a truly national movement and the event only served to strengthen people's trust in the organisation and spelt the end of Soviet power in Azerbaijan.
In 1992, Abulfaz Elchibey, the leader of PFA, won the country's first ostensibly democratic presidential elections. A period of political, social and economic reforms followed. The laws on political parties, freedom of press, education and others were adopted. The country chose a pro-western liberal economic course and implemented successful monetary policy with the establishment of national currency. The most popular innovations were the administrative reforms and the reforms directed towards the creation of civil society. As the result of firm and consistent policies of PFA, Russian (formerly Soviet) army was withdrawn from Azerbaijan in April 1993. Azerbaijan became the first republic
in the former USSR and one of the first in the former Socialist bloc which succeeded in achieving a full and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops.
However, independent and pro-western policy of PFA government could not satisfy geopolitical interests of Russia and Iran
and hence, with the support of these countries, former communists led by the former KGB
General Heydar Aliyev
captured the power. The president Abulfaz Elchibey was forced to leave the capital city. Thousands of people were arrested; members of PFA became victims of political terror. In fact, this was the second largest attack on PFA in order to destroy this organization completely, while the leader was out of the capital city. Although, at a later stage the new regime assumed a pretence of democracy it was clear that Azerbaijan once again was in grip of authoritarianism
.
took the initiative by leading and protecting the organization from the attacks of the new regime from 1993 until 1997 and restoring its political power. In 1995 with the proposal of Ali Karimli and as a result of internal party discussions, Popular Front of Azerbaijan was reorganized from a social-political movement into a full-fledged political party. In the same year, Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) managed to take seats in Parliament and Ali Kerimli became a leader of parliamentary party fraction.
In 2000, after the death of PFPA Chairman and ex-president A. Elchibey, Ali Karimli was elected Chairman of the Party. In 2000 parliament elections PFPA took seats again and Ali Karimli was elected the leader of the opposition fraction in parliament.
2003 Presidential elections in Azerbaijan were marred by vote-rigging and fell far short of the most basic international norms and standards. They were followed by another wave of repressions against the opposition. Despite this PFPA has recovered quickly and is rapidly emerging as a powerful opposition center.
As 45 percent of the population of Azerbaijan is living under the level of absolute poverty, the major goal of PFPA is to accelerate economic, political, social and legal reforms, based on European principles.
A major objective of PFPA is to promote a liberal model of economic development by implementing a comprehensive anti-corruption programme, rapidly developing non-oil sectors of the economy and creating an ideal climate for foreign and domestic investment through establishment of a flexible tax regime and other relevant measures. PFPA takes pride in their commitment to social justice and development of sustainable social security
and welfare policies is a major priority. PFPA seeks an active integration of Azerbaijan into EU and NATO. PFPA sees the future of Azerbaijan in the Euro-Atlantic community. However, it is impossible to accomplish these reforms with the old team of the current regime that has been in place practically unchanged since 1993.
Consequently, PFPA first suggested and then proclaimed the unification of opposition as the surest means to free and fair elections. On 18 March 2005 Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) has signed an agreement with other opposition parties on the establishment of a united opposition bloc – "Freedom" - for the participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections in November 2005.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, founded in 1992 by Abulfaz Elchibey. After Elchibey's death in 2000, the party split into two factions, the reform wing led by Ali Kerimli and the classical wing led by Mirmahmud Miralioglu.
During 5 November 2000 (and 7 January 2001) parliamentary elections
Elections in Azerbaijan
Elections in Azerbaijan gives information on election and election results in Azerbaijan.Azerbaijan elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five year term by the people; before a referendum changed this in 2009, the position was...
, the party won 11.0 % of the popular vote and 6 out of 125 seats in the National Assembly of Azerbaijan
National Assembly of Azerbaijan
The National Assembly , also transliterated as Milli Majlis is the legislative branch of government in Azerbaijan. The unicameral National Assembly has 125 deputies: previously 100 members were elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies and 25 were members elected by proportional...
. Its candidate Gudrat Hasanguliyev won only 0.4 % of the popular vote in the 15 October 2003 presidential elections
Azerbaijan presidential election, 2003
A presidential election was held in Azerbaijan on October 15, 2003. As expected, Ilham Aliyev, son of the outgoing president, Heydar Aliyev, was easily elected in an election which international observers held not to be free or fair....
. At the parliamentary elections
Azerbaijan parliamentary election, 2005
The 2005 Azerbaijan parliamentary election was held on November 6. It pitted candidates of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party against opposition led by the Azadlıq bloc of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, the Equality Party and Azerbaijan Democratic Party. The polling stations closed 19:00...
of 6 November 2005, APF joined the Freedom
Freedom (Azerbaijan)
Freedom was an electoral alliance of the Musavat , the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party and the Azerbaijan Democratic Party ....
block but won only one seat.
History of the Azerbaijan Popular Front
The Popular Front of Azerbaijan (PFA) was an organisation in AzerbaijanAzerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
that united a number of informal public organisations into one, working towards independence from the Soviet Union.
The Popular Front of Azerbaijan was established on July 16, 1988 with the initiative of patriotic Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
individuals as a result of movement of Azerbaijani people for freedom, sovereignty and democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. PFA came to unite a number of informal public organizations which were established in the 1980s to struggle for the independence of Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In 1987 Əli Kərimli, a law school student, became the founder and leader of one of these informal organizations - "Yurd" ("Homeland"), that inspired and led thousands of students to the main square of Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
city to protest against the Communist regime. As a result of this courageous step, a large-scale campaign of public demonstrations and meetings swept across Azerbaijan. Later the movement was suppressed by the special forces of the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Internal Affairs of USSR. Despite this fact, Popular Front of Azerbaijan was established and Yurd became an integral part of this movement.
In September 1989 the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan (SC), under pressure from PFA and its members in the SC, adopted the law on "Economic Sovereignty of Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic". As the result of an ongoing and unabating struggle under the leadership of PFA, the courage and defiance of Azerbaijani people in the face of Soviet oppression were recognised and celebrated across the former Soviet Union and around the world. In order to stop the growing popularity of PFA,and to stop the bloody pogroms of Armenians that left more than 130 Armenians dead, in January 1990, Soviet authorities sent the army into Baku city. Some 130 civilians were killed and 600 wounded. The main purpose of the Baku operation, headed by Dmitriy Yazov - Minister of Defense of former USSR, was to destroy the political structures of PFA. Some believe that the Communists' plans failed because PFA was a truly national movement and the event only served to strengthen people's trust in the organisation and spelt the end of Soviet power in Azerbaijan.
In 1992, Abulfaz Elchibey, the leader of PFA, won the country's first ostensibly democratic presidential elections. A period of political, social and economic reforms followed. The laws on political parties, freedom of press, education and others were adopted. The country chose a pro-western liberal economic course and implemented successful monetary policy with the establishment of national currency. The most popular innovations were the administrative reforms and the reforms directed towards the creation of civil society. As the result of firm and consistent policies of PFA, Russian (formerly Soviet) army was withdrawn from Azerbaijan in April 1993. Azerbaijan became the first republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
in the former USSR and one of the first in the former Socialist bloc which succeeded in achieving a full and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops.
However, independent and pro-western policy of PFA government could not satisfy geopolitical interests of Russia and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and hence, with the support of these countries, former communists led by the former KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
General Heydar Aliyev
Heydar Aliyev
Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev , also spelled as Heidar Aliev, Geidar Aliev, Haydar Aliyev, Geydar Aliyev was the third President of Azerbaijan for the New Azerbaijan Party from June 1993 to October 2003, when his son Ilham Aliyev succeeded him.From 1969 till 1982, Aliyev was also the leader of Soviet...
captured the power. The president Abulfaz Elchibey was forced to leave the capital city. Thousands of people were arrested; members of PFA became victims of political terror. In fact, this was the second largest attack on PFA in order to destroy this organization completely, while the leader was out of the capital city. Although, at a later stage the new regime assumed a pretence of democracy it was clear that Azerbaijan once again was in grip of authoritarianism
Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a form of social organization characterized by submission to authority. It is usually opposed to individualism and democracy...
.
Transformation to political party
Considering the dramatic and difficult situation facing PFA, Ali KarimliAli Karimli
Ali Karimli born Ali Amirhuseyn oglu Karimov is an Azeri politician and the head of the reformist wing of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party ....
took the initiative by leading and protecting the organization from the attacks of the new regime from 1993 until 1997 and restoring its political power. In 1995 with the proposal of Ali Karimli and as a result of internal party discussions, Popular Front of Azerbaijan was reorganized from a social-political movement into a full-fledged political party. In the same year, Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) managed to take seats in Parliament and Ali Kerimli became a leader of parliamentary party fraction.
In 2000, after the death of PFPA Chairman and ex-president A. Elchibey, Ali Karimli was elected Chairman of the Party. In 2000 parliament elections PFPA took seats again and Ali Karimli was elected the leader of the opposition fraction in parliament.
2003 Presidential elections in Azerbaijan were marred by vote-rigging and fell far short of the most basic international norms and standards. They were followed by another wave of repressions against the opposition. Despite this PFPA has recovered quickly and is rapidly emerging as a powerful opposition center.
As 45 percent of the population of Azerbaijan is living under the level of absolute poverty, the major goal of PFPA is to accelerate economic, political, social and legal reforms, based on European principles.
A major objective of PFPA is to promote a liberal model of economic development by implementing a comprehensive anti-corruption programme, rapidly developing non-oil sectors of the economy and creating an ideal climate for foreign and domestic investment through establishment of a flexible tax regime and other relevant measures. PFPA takes pride in their commitment to social justice and development of sustainable social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
and welfare policies is a major priority. PFPA seeks an active integration of Azerbaijan into EU and NATO. PFPA sees the future of Azerbaijan in the Euro-Atlantic community. However, it is impossible to accomplish these reforms with the old team of the current regime that has been in place practically unchanged since 1993.
Consequently, PFPA first suggested and then proclaimed the unification of opposition as the surest means to free and fair elections. On 18 March 2005 Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) has signed an agreement with other opposition parties on the establishment of a united opposition bloc – "Freedom" - for the participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections in November 2005.