Azerbaijan Marks Constitution Day

Today marks the anniversary of the adoption of Azerbaijan's fundamental law — the Constitution.

Operativ Media recalls that the Constitution was adopted 31 years ago, on November 12, 1995, through a nationwide referendum.

It was Azerbaijan's first Constitution since the restoration of its independence.

Azerbaijan's first Constitution was adopted on May 19, 1921, at the First All-Azerbaijan Congress of Soviets. A revised version of the Azerbaijan SSR Constitution, adapted to the 1921 USSR Constitution, was adopted on March 14, 1925, at the Fourth All-Azerbaijan Congress of Soviets. The final Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR, adopted on April 21, 1978, was also aligned with the USSR Constitution, though it retained certain unique characteristics.

After Azerbaijan restored its independence, intensive work began on drafting a new constitution. In 1994, a constitutional commission chaired by President Heydar Aliyev began its work, and the draft was released for public discussion in 1995. On November 12, 1995, the first Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan was adopted by nationwide referendum.

The new Constitution consists of 5 sections, 12 chapters, and 158 articles. By a decree issued by President Heydar Aliyev on February 6, 1996, November 12 was declared Constitution Day.

Amendments and additions were made to the Constitution via referendums on August 24, 2002, March 18, 2009, and September 26, 2016.