Mutalibov, Ayaz Niyazovich

Politician, first President of Azerbaijani Republic after the independence.

Born May 12, 1938, in the city of Baku in the family of doctors. His father, Niyazi Ashrafovich Mutalibov, is a surgeon, Medical Doctor (doktor meditsinskikh nauk), participant of the Great Patriotic War (WWII). His mother, Kyubra Ganievna Mutalibova, was a gynecologist and worked all her life in delivery hospital. Deceased in 1988.

In 1956, Ayaz Mutalibov graduated from Baku high school No. 189. During his school years, he was interested in jazz, for which was criticized in the school's wallpaper as "fop" and "imitator of reactionary western culture". Played volleyball for the school's varsity.

In 1956-1962, studied in Azerbaijani Institute of Petrochemistry named after Azizbekov.

In 1959, Ayaz Mutalibov started working in Baku Electrical Equipment Plant. Ayaz Mutalibov worked in this enterprise over 15 years, passing all the steps of the career staircase: from the master of assembly department to the Director of the plant. In 1974, became the Director General of the Industrial Conglomerate "Bakelektrobytmash".

In 1977, Ayaz Mutalibov was elected second secretary of Narimanovsky District Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan.

In 1979, A.N. Mutalibov was appointed Minister of the Local Industry of Azerbaijan.

In 1982, was appointed the Chairman of the State Planning Committee (Gosplan) of the Republic and simultaneously became deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan. Ayaz Mutalibov worked in this position until January 1989.

Since January 1989, A.N. Mutalibov was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijani SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic).

On January 24, 1990, was elected the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan. At Ayaz Mutalibov's own initiative, the election was alternative.

In May 1990, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan elected Ayaz Mutalibov the President of the Republic.

In September 1991, Ayaz Mutalibov suspended his authority and ordered the conduction of direct and alternative-based presidential election, thinking that it was the only was to confirm his legitimacy in this position. With the overwhelming majority, the Azerbaijani people reelected Ayaz Mutalibov their President.

Instantly after the election, the last Congress of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan was convoked; at this congress, Mutalibov quit KPSS (Communist Party of the Soviet Union), and the Communist Party of Azerbaijan adopts a decision on self-dissolution.

On February 25, 1992, the opposition insisted on convoking an extraordinary session of the Supreme Council of the Republic, in which they set up a claim on the President's impeachment blaming him for the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh jeopardizing. For two days, the deputies stayed the hostages of the armed opposition. In order to avoid the bloodshed, Ayaz Mutalibov was forced to resign.

On May 14 of the same year, the Supreme Council of the Republic, after the hearings of the Parliamentary Commission's report on the events in Nagorno-Karabakh, did not find Ayaz Mutalibov's direct fault, cancelled its decision on the President's resignation, and reinstated him in the position of the President. The following day, members of People's Front organize mass riots, which resulted in A.N. Mutalibov's departure from the Republic and becoming a political йmigrй for a long time.

Resides in Moscow since then. Engages in literature and journalism activities (Karabakh, a Black Garden book and a number of articles) and heads the activities of the Regional Social Cultural Education Center For Azerbaijan's Progress. Besides, on September 4, 1999, a ceremonious opening of the first and still only Azerbaijani mosque in Moscow took place; the mosque was built at Ayaz Mutalibov's initiative.

Married, two children, two grandchildren.

Hobbies: reading, music. Up to the age of 45 was active in sports; his favorite sport is volleyball; in his student years, went in for fencing.