Azerbaijani Popular Front Party
The Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Xalq Cəbhəsi Partiyası, pronounced [ɑːzæɾbɑjˈdʒɑn xɑlɡ ˈdʒæpæsi] ⓘ) is a political party in Azerbaijan, founded in 1989 by Abulfaz Elchibey. Since Elchibey was ousted from power in the 1993 military coup, the party has been one of the main opposition parties to the Heydar Aliyev and Ilham Aliyev authoritarian regimes.
Azerbaijani Popular Front Party Azərbaycan Xalq Cəbhəsi Partiyası | |
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| Leader | Ali Karimli |
| Founders | Abulfaz Elchibey |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | Baku, Azerbaijan |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe |
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Politics of Azerbaijan |
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Azerbaijan portal
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The party formed in 1989 as an anti-Soviet political movement. The party pushed for Azerbaijani independence from the Soviet Union. The party staged mass protests against the Soviet regime. After Azerbaijan attained independence from the Soviet Union, Popular Front pressured the communist old guard that controlled newly independent Azerbaijan to establish a parliament and allow free elections. The party pressured Ayaz Mutallibov, Azerbaijan's first president to implement democratic reforms and forced him out of power in 1992 when he tried to cancel the 1992 presidential election in a self-coup. Popular Front leader Abulfaz Elchibey was elected in the 1992 election.
The party's policies emphasized democracy, rule of law, and secularism, as well as respect for human rights, religious rights and ethnic minorities.
In the aftermath of the 1993 coup where Elchibey was ousted from power, the party has been blocked from participating in several elections, and prominent individuals associated with the party have been repressed by the Azerbaijan government. The party has also boycotted several elections, citing an unbalanced playing field and repression by the incumbent government.