Azerbaijan celebrates 30th anniversary of its first independent Constitution

November 12 marks the Constitution Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Constitution of independent Azerbaijan was adopted through a referendum on November 12, 1995, and entered into force on November 27 of the same year.

The Constitution adopted in 1995 is the first Constitution of independent Azerbaijan and the fourth in the history of the republic. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which existed from 1918 to 1920, was unable to adopt its own fundamental law. The history of the creation of Azerbaijan’s Constitution dates back to the Soviet period. The first Constitution of Azerbaijan was adopted on May 19, 1921, at the First All-Azerbaijan Congress of Soviets. A new version of the Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR, in line with the 1921 USSR Constitution, was adopted on March 14, 1925, at the Fourth All-Azerbaijan Congress. The last Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR, adopted on April 21, 1978, as with the previous ones, corresponded to the USSR Constitution.

After Azerbaijan regained its independence, it became necessary to draft a new Constitution. For this purpose, a special commission was established under the leadership of President Heydar Aliyev, and the draft Constitution was submitted for nationwide discussion. On November 12, 1995, the first Constitution of independent Azerbaijan was adopted by popular referendum.

The first Constitution of independent Azerbaijan, which serves as the foundation of state-building, consists of five sections, twelve chapters, and 158 articles. Amendments and additions to the Constitution were made by nationwide referendums in August 2002, March 2009, and September 2016.

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the first body of judicial constitutional oversight in the country, was established on July 14, 1998.

Although Constitution Day is an official holiday, November 12 is a working day in Azerbaijan.