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Azerbaijani Popular Front marks 22nd anniversary

16 July 2011 09:56 (UTC +04:00)

APA reports that APF was found on July 16 1989 at the secret conference held in Baku.

APFâ€™s first chairman was Abulfaz Elchibey. The Management Board consisting of 15 persons was formed at the constitutive conference. Isa Gambar, Etibar Mammadov, Hikmat Hajizadeh, Zardusht Alizadeh, Leyla Yunus, Panah Huseyn, Najaf Najafov, Tofig Gasimov, Yusif Samadoglu, Sabit Baghirov, Sulhaddin Akbar, Janbakhish Umudov, Nemat Panahli, Rahim Gaziyev, Alakram Humbatov were members of the Management Board. Three of them â€“ Azerbaijanâ€™s second president Abulfaz Elchibey, peopleâ€™s writer Yusif Samadoglu and first editor-in-chief of â€œAzadligâ€ newspaper Najaf Najafov have already died.

APF, which passed several contradictory stages (extension of popular movement, political successes and splits, January 20 tragedy and etc.) in 1989-1990, 1990-1992 and 1992-1993, was in the leading positions in the political system in the ensuing years. In 1995 APF turned into the political party and became APFP. Majority of parties functioning in Azerbaijan today was established in APFâ€™s base.

In 2000, serious illness of Elchibey, then his death caused split in APFP. Three political structures pretended to the same name. Then the present United Azerbaijani Popular Front and Classic Popular Front Parties (chairmen â€“ Gudrat Hasanguliyev and Mirmahmud Miralioglu) withdrew from a fight. At present, the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (chairman â€“ Ali Karimli) is considered the main successor of APF, but the other two organizations consider their establishment day as July 16 1989. None of these three organizations has the first leaders of APF.