Rafael Allahverdiyev

{{Short description|Azerbaijani politician (1945–2009)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Rafael Allahverdiyev

| image =

| caption =

| office = 4th Mayor of Baku

| term_start = 3 July 1993

| term_end = 16 October 2000

| predecessor = Rauf Gulmammadov

| successor = Muhammed Abbasov

| birth_date = {{birth date |df=yes|1945|05|09}}

| birth_place = Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2009|01|11|1945|05|09}}

| death_place = Baku, Azerbaijan

| nationality = Azerbaijani

| party = Yeni Azərbaycan Partiyası (YAP)

| relations =

| residence =

| alma_mater = Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences
Western University, Baku

| occupation = business manager, politician

| profession =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

| native_name_lang = az

| native_name = {{nobold|Rəfael Allahverdiyev}}

}}

Rafael Khanali oglu Allahverdiyev ({{langx|az|Rəfael Xanəli oğlu Allahverdiyev}}) (9 May 1945 – 11 January 2009) was an Azerbaijani politician, co-founder of the New Azerbaijan Party and the second Mayor of Baku, capital of Azerbaijan.

Allahverdiyev was born to a family of an oil worker in Baku. He had graduated from Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences in 1974 and from Western University in 1994 with a degree in management.{{cite web|url=http://www.adam.az/az.php?subaction=showfull&id=1231701089&archive=|title=Rafael Allahverdiyev|publisher=Adam az|access-date=6 April 2010|language=az}}

In earlier years, he had worked as an operator at the Garadagneft oil refinery.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} In 1971 through 1983, he held various positions at the Central Committee of Azerbaijan Communist Party.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} From 1983 until 1988, Allahverdiyev served as the head of executive power of Narimanov district of Baku, and from 1988 to 1993, as the director of operations of International Bank of Azerbaijan.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

From 1993 until 2000, Allahverdiyev served as the mayor of Baku until he was replaced by the incumbent mayor Hajibala Abutalybov. He was considered a close long-term ally of former president Heydar Aliyev.{{cite news

| url= http://www.hri.org/news/balkans/rferl/2001/01-02-01.rferl.html | title= AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT NAMES NEW BAKU MAYOR

| publisher=RFE/RL | date=1 February 2001 | volume=5 | issue=22 | access-date=6 April 2010}} During his term, he also co-founded the New Azerbaijan Party, currently the ruling party of Azerbaijani government, and was subsequently elected as the deputy chairman of the party. In 1995, Rafael Allahverdiyev was also elected to the Parliament of Azerbaijan in 1995, serving two consecutive terms, but gave up his parliament membership shortly thereafter, splitting with the incumbent government and being exiled to Switzerland in 2000.{{cite news | url = http://www.day.az/news/politics/16199.html | script-title=ru:Экс-мэр Баку Рафаэль Аллахвердиев отказался от полномочий депутата Азербайджана |trans-title=Former Mayor Rafael Allakhverdiyev gave up his parliament duties | publisher=Day.az | date=23 November 2004 | access-date=6 April 2010|language=ru}}

Allahverdiyev suffered from a long illness and died on 11 January 2009 from brain cancer.{{cite news | url= http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=95085 | title= Former Baku Mayor Rafael Allahverdiyev dies | publisher=APA | author=Elnur Mammadli | date=12 January 2009 | access-date=6 April 2010}}