Chamber:
	Milli Mejlis
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	12 November 1995 26 November 1995
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held to fill all the seats of the new Parliament provided for in the Constitution approved by referendum the same day.
Background and outcome of elections:
	The 1995 general elections were the first since independence from the ex-USSR was declared in August 1991. Prior to that, polling for the former, 360-member Supreme Soviet had taken place in September/October 1990. Two years later, this body was replaced by a 50-member National Council (Milli Majlis). The holding of the elections was first announced by President of the Republic (since October 1993) Heydar Aliyev in April 1995, the exact date being set on 13 June. Voting for a new, 125-seat National Assembly was to coincide with a constitutional referendum. In August, a new, controversial Electoral Law providing for a mixed majority-proportional representation system was adopted. That same month, the Government was criticised for its refusal to register several opposition parties, including the prominent Azerbaijani Popular Front. The ban on the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, however, was lifted in September. Eight party lists and 387 candidates were ultimately in contention. Most of the parties, led by the New Azerbaijan group, supported President Aliyev. Polling day was monitored by observers from the Council of Europe and a joint OSCE-UN team. The voting outcome left 29 majority seats vacant in cases where the required minimum levels were not reached, thus necessitating a second round on 26 November. Nevertheless, the newly elected legislature convened on 24 November. The "Round Table Group" - an umbrella organisation of 20 opposition parties - declared that it would not recognise this body. The foreign observers, for their part, expressed fundamental reservations about the polling process, which they judged seriously flawed. The new Constitution - seen as strengthening presidential powers - was reportedly approved by an overwhelming margin. On 4 February 1996, the final renewed voting was held in 16 constituencies where candidates had still not been elected. The Council of Ministers is headed by Prime Minister Fuad Kh. Kuliyev.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (12 November 1995): Elections results
Number of registered electors	4,132,800
Voters	3,556,277 (86.05%)

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total	Proportional	Majority
New Azerbaijan Party	54	19	35
Popular Front Party	4	3	1
National Independence Party	4	3	1
Democratic Independence Party	2	0	2
Democratic Entrepreneurs Party	1	0	1
Citizens' Solidarity Party	1	0	1
"Musavat" Party	1	0	1
Social Justice Party	1	0	1
"Motherland" Party	1	0	1
Non-affiliated	55	0	55

Comments:
	plus one seat reserved for member from Karabakh

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	109
Women:	15

Distribution of seats according to age:
Under 30 years	2
30-50 years	74
Above 50 years	48
Distribution of seats according to profession:
Engineers	17
Historians	14
Philologists	14
Physicists	12
Economists	12
Lawyers	10
Teachers	10
Doctors	8
Agronomists	6
Chemists	4
Journalists	4
Biologists	4
Philosophers	3
Actors	3
Others	3