Ayaz Mütallibov was born on May 12, 1938 in Baku to the family of a physician and later World War II veteran, Niyazi Aṣraf oğlu Mütallibov, and gynaecologist Kubra Mütallibova. Both of his parents from Shamakhi. In 1956, Ayaz Mütallibov graduated from the secondary school #189 in Baku. During his youth he was fond of jazz music. He was a member of the school volleyball team. In 1956–62, Mütallibov attended the Azerbaijan State Institute of Petroleum and Chemistry. In 1964, he became the director of the Baku Refrigerator Factory, and in 1974, he was appointed as the General Director of "BakElectroBytMash" State Industrial Company.
January 20, 1990 – Soviet troops enter Baku; Black January crackdown takes place.
January 24, 1990 – While in Moscow, Mütallibov is appointed as the First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party.
May 19, 1990 – Supreme Council of Azerbaijan SSR elects Mütallibov as the first President of Azerbaijan SSR.
December 1990 – at Mütallibov's initiative, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan SSR officially renames the country to Azerbaijan Republic and adopts the Declaration of Sovereignty
March 17, 1991 – under pressure from Mütallibov, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan votes for participation of Azerbaijan in the referendum on the fate of Soviet Union
September 1991 – Mütallibov dissolves the Communist Party of Azerbaijan and proposes constitutional changes for direct nationwide elections of president.
September 8, 1991 – Mütallibov elected a president in a single-candidate nationwide election.
December 1991 – In a nationwide referendum, Azerbaijani voters approve the Declaration of Independence adopted by the Supreme Council; Soviet Union is dissolved, Azerbaijan is recognized as an independent state by Turkey, Israel, Romania and Pakistan.
March 6, 1992 – Under pressure from Azerbaijan Popular Front due to mismanagement in defense of Khojaly and safety of its inhabitants, Mütallibov was forced to submit his resignation to the National Assembly of Azerbaijan.
May 8, 1992 – Armenian forces take control of Shusha, the last Azerbaijani-populated town in Nagorno-Karabakh
May 14, 1992 – Supreme Council of Azerbaijan, dominated by the former members of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, hears the case on Khojaly Massacre, relieves Mütallibov of any responsibility, reverses his prior resignation and restores him as the President of Azerbaijan.
May 15, 1992 – Armed forces led by the Azerbaijan Popular Front take control of the offices of the Parliament of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani State Radio and Television, thereby deposing Mütallibov, who leaves for Moscow; defunct Supreme Council of Azerbaijan is dissolved passing the duties to the National Assembly of Azerbaijan formed by equal representation of Azerbaijan Popular Front and former communists.
May 17, 1992 – Armenian forces take control of Lachin, Isa Gambar is elected as the new Chairman of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan and takes on the temporary duties of President of Azerbaijan until the national elections on June 17, 1992.
Exile
Ayaz Mütallibov was in exile in Moscow from May 1992 until July 2012. In 1994 he published a book called Karabakh – Black Garden in Moscow. In April 2000, his followers in Baku declared the formation of the new Civil Union Party. In 2003 he joined the Azerbaijan Social Democratic Party and became its co-chairman in exile. In July 2012, Mütallibov returned from exile with the permission of President Ilham Aliyev.
Family and personal life
Mütallibov was married to Adila Mütallibova, who died in 2019. They had two sons, Azad and Zaur, grandson Tahir and granddaughter Madina. His son Azad died of cancer on August 9, 2011 leaving only Zaur. Mutallibov arrived in Baku to attend his son’s funeral. It was his first visit to country after 1992.
