Sahari*, Naftalan Sahari*, Naxcivan Muxtar
Respublikasi**, Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax
Rayonu, Qazax Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu,
Qusar Rayonu, Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Saki
Sahari*, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu,
Siyazan Rayonu, Sumqayit Sahari*, Susa Rayonu, Susa Sahari*, Tartar
Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xankandi Sahari*,
Xanlar Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimb
Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Yevlax Sahari*, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala
Rayonu, Zardab Rayonu
Independence: 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 28 May
Constitution: adopted 12 November 1995
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Heydar ALIYEV (since 18 June 1993) was
elected by popular vote; election last held 3 October 1993 (next to
be held 1997 or 1998); results - Heydar ALIYEV won 97% of vote
head of government: Prime Minister Fuad QULIYEV (since 9 October
1994), First Deputy Prime Ministers Abbas ABBASOV (since NA), Samed
SADYKOV (since NA), Vahid AKHMEDOV (since NA), Elchin EFENDIYEV
(since NA) were appointed by the president and confirmed by the
Milli Mejlis
cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the president and
confirmed by the Mejlis
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Milli Mejlis): elections last held 12 and 26
November 1995 (next to be held NA); percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (125 total) number of seats by party NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Azerbaijan Popular Front (APF),
Ebulfez ELCIBEY, chairman; Musavat Party, Isa GAMBAR, chairman;
National Independence Party, Etibar MAMEDOV, chairman; Social
Democratic Party (SDP), Araz ALIZADE, chairman; Communist Party,
Ramiz AKHMEDOV, chairman; People's Freedom Party, Yunus OGUZ,
chairman; Independent Social Democratic Party, Arif YUNUSOV and
Leila YUNOSOVA, cochairmen; New Azerbaijan Party, Heydar ALIYEV,
chairman; Boz Gurd Party, Iskander HAMIDOV, chairman; Azerbaijan
Democratic Independence Party, Qabil HUSEYNLI, chairman; Islamic
Party of Azerbaijan, Ali Akram, chairman; Ana Veten Party, Fazail
AGAMALIYEV; Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Sardar Jalaloglu MAMEDOV;
Azerbaijan Democratic Party of Proprietors (DPOP), Makhmud MAMEDOV;
Azerbaijan Patriotic Solidarity Party, Sabir RUSTAMHANLI; Azerbaijan
Republic Reform Party, Fuad ASADOV; Communist Party of Azerbaijan
(unregistered), Sayad SAYADOV; Equality of the Peoples Party,
Faukhraddin AYDAYEV; Independent Azerbaijan Party, Nizami
SULEYMANOV; Labor Party of Azerbaijan, Sabutai HAJIYEV;
Liberal-Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, Lyudmila NIKOLAYEVNA;
National Enlightenment Party, Hajy Osman EFENDIYEV; National
Liberation Party, Panak SHAKHSEVEV; Peasant Party, Firuz MUSTAFAYEV;
Radical Party of Azerbaijan, Malik SHARIFOV; United Azerbaijan
Party, Kerrar ABILOV; Vetan Adzhagy Party, Zakir TAGIYEV
Other political or pressure groups: self-proclaimed Armenian
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CIS, EBRD,
ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NACC, NAM (observer), OIC, OSCE,
PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hafiz Mir Jalal PASHAYEV
chancery: (temporary) Suite 700, 927 15th Street NW, Washington, DC
20005
telephone: [1] (202) 842–0001
FAX: [1] (202) 842–0004
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard D. KAUZLARICH
embassy: Azadliq Prospekti 83, Baku
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [9] (9412) 96–00-19, 98–03-37, 98–03-36, 93–64-80,
96–36-21
FAX: [9] (9412) 98–37-55
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green;
a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band
Economy———
Economic overview: Azerbaijan is less developed industrially than either Armenia or Georgia, the other Transcaucasian states. It resembles the Central Asian states in its majority nominally Muslim population, high structural unemployment, and low standard of living. The economy's most prominent products are oil, cotton, and gas. Production from the Caspian oil and gas field has been in decline for several years, but the November 1994 ratification of the $7.5 billion oil deal with a consortium of Western companies should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the ex-Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures have yet to be replaced. Whereas the economies of most of the former Soviet republics had begun to bottom out in 1995, Azerbaijan's economy continued to plummet because of its late start on economic reform.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $11.5 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP real growth rate: −17% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $1,480 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 85% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 2.789 million
by occupation: agriculture and forestry 32%, industry and
construction 26%, other 42% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 2.3% includes officially registered unemployed;
also large numbers of unregistered unemployed and underemployed
workers (December 1995)
Budget:
revenues: $465 million
expenditures: $488 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995 est.)
Industries: petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals