Elchibey 's rise to presidency came after the first round of heavy losses of Azerbaijan in the war against Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region . After the Khojaly Massacre ( 26 – 27 February 1992 ) , the fall of Shusha ( 8 May 1992 ) and Lachin ( 15 – 17 May 1992 ) , the temporary Azerbaijani communist establishment led by Yaqub Mammadov could no longer hold power . Amidst the disorder on the frontline , former Azerbaijani president Ayaz Mutalibov 's attempted comeback , two months after his resignation , in a parliamentary coup on 14 May 1992 , resulted in public outrage and military overthrow of Mutalibov by the Azerbaijani Popular Front in Baku on 15 May 1992
Khojaly Massacre
Khojaly Massacre
Abulfaz Elchibey