November 12 is the Constitution Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Constitution of independent Azerbaijan was adopted in a referendum on November 12, 1995. The basic law of the state came into force on November 27, 1995. Azerbaijan has been celebrating November 12 as Constitution Day for 25 years. This year's Constitution Day has a special feature. Thus, for the first time, our Constitution actually applies to our lands occupied by the enemy for years. The Constitution adopted in 1995 is the first Constitution of independent Azerbaijan and the fourth Constitution of the republic in general. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which existed in 1918-1920, could not adopt the basic law of the state.
The history of the constitutional system of Azerbaijan dates back to the USSR. The first Constitution of Azerbaijan was adopted on May 19, 1921 at the First All-Azerbaijani Congress of Soviets. The new edition of the Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR, adapted to the Constitution of the USSR in 1921, was adopted on March 14, 1925 at the IV All-Azerbaijan Congress of Soviets. The last Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR, adopted on April 21, 1978, was harmonized with the USSR Constitution as the previous constitutions. After Azerbaijan gained independence, there was a need to draft a new Constitution. For this purpose, a special commission headed by President Heydar Aliyev was established, and the draft Constitution was submitted for public discussion. On November 12, 1995, the first Constitution of independent Azerbaijan was adopted by referendum. The first Constitution, which is the basis of state building in independent Azerbaijan, consists of 5 sections, 12 chapters and 158 articles. In August 2002, March 2009 and September 2016, the Constitution was amended through referendums. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the first constitutional judicial review body in Azerbaijan, was established on July 14, 1998. Although Constitution Day is celebrated as a holiday, November 12 is a working day.