The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA; Dari:, Jumhūree-ye Dimukrātee-ye Afghahnistān; Pashto: دافغانستان دمکراتی جمهوریت, Dǝ Afġānistān Dimukratī Jumhūriyat), renamed in 1987 to the Republic of Afghanistan (Persian: جمهوری افغانستان; Jumhūrī-ye Afġānistān, Pashto: د افغانستان جمهوریت, Dǝ Afġānistān Jumhūriyat), existed from 1978 to 1992 and covers the period when the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) ruled Afghanistan. The PDPA came to power through a coup known as the Saur Revolution, which ousted the unpopular government of Mohammad Daoud Khan. Daoud was succeeded by Nur Muhammad Taraki as head of state and government on 30 April 1978. Taraki and Hafizullah Amin, the organiser of the Saur Revolution, introduced several contentious reforms during their rule,