Heydar Aliyev

Upon his return to Azerbaijan in July 1990, Heydar Aliyev first stayed in Baku and then moved to Nakhchivan where he was elected to the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan the same year. In 1991-1993, he was holding the position of the Chairman of the Supreme Majlis (the legislative body) of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan and the Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Supreme Majlis. In 1992, he became the leader of Yeni Azerbaijan (The New Azerbaijan) Party at the Party’s Constituent Congress.
In May-June 1993, given the acute government crisis fraught with civil war and compromising Azerbaijan’s very existence as an independent state, the mass movement demanding Heydar Aliyev’s return became the dominant force in Azerbaijan. Faced with this ever-increasing popular movement, the authorities of the day had no other choice than calling Heydar Aliyev back to Baku.
The Chairman of Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan as of June 15, 1993, Heydar Aliyev was vested with the authorities of the Acting President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on June 24, 1993, following the resolution by the Milli Majlis (the National Parliament).
On October 3, 1993, Heydar Aliyev was officially elected the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the course of the national elections.
On October 11, 1998, he was re-elected the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. On October 15, 2003, a presidential nominee for the elections Heydar Aliyev ultimately withdrew his nomination for health reasons.
Heydar Aliyev, the national leader of Azerbaijani nation, passed away on December 12, 2003, at the clinic in Cleveland (the USA) and was buried at the Honorary Cemetery in Baku on December 15, 2003.