It was formed on 18 December 1992 by the former President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, who led it until his retirement and death in 2003. It is now led by his son, Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his father as the party leader and as President of Azerbaijan since October 31, 2003. The founder of the party, Heydar Aliyev, was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union until July 1991 before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of Azerbaijan later that year. The headquarters of the party is in the capital city Baku.