Communist Party of Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijan Communist Party (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Kommunist Partiyası; Russian: Коммунистическая партия Азербайджана) was the ruling political party in the Azerbaijan SSR, making it effectively a branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It was formed on February 20, 1920, when the Hummat Party, the Adalat Party, the Ahrar Party of Iran and Baku Bolsheviks joined together to establish the Azerbaijan Communist Party. On April 1 of the same year, the Fifth Cabinet of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic gave its resignations and all the power to the Azerbaijan Communist Party. The party ruled the Azerbaijan SSR until 16 September 1991 when it was formally disbanded. Nevertheless, former leaders and members of the communists continued to play a role in the family- and patronage-based political system. The Azerbaijan Communist Party won the first multi-party elections in Azerbaijan that took place on 30 September and 14 October 1990 for the Supreme Soviet obtaining 280 out of 360 seats.