Following Anadolu's liberation from enemy occupation, a new chapter in Türkiye's history began with the proclamation of the Republic by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye on October 29, 1923, encapsulated in the phrase, "Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation." The torch of independence ignited by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's arrival in Samsun on May 19, 1919, continues to burn due to the great struggle of the Turkish nation.
The existence of the new Turkish state was confirmed with the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923.
Two months after the second session of the Grand National Assembly convened, on October 13, 1923, Ankara became the government's capital. It was necessary to clearly define the name of the current regime and elect the president of the new state.
Until that day, the presidency had been held by Mustafa Kemal Pasha as the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly. Meanwhile, some foreign countries also wanted a clearer definition of Türkiye's new state regime for the ratification of the Treaty of Lausanne.
On October 27, 1923, the resignation of the Council of Ministers and the inability to form a cabinet that would gain the Assembly's confidence necessitated an urgent solution. "Tomorrow, we will declare the Republic," Mustafa Kemal Pasha said.
Due to the failure to establish a government by the evening of October 28, 1923, he had a meal prepared for his friends at the Çankaya Mansion.
During dinner, which included İsmet Pasha, Ali Fuat Pasha, Halit Pasha, and Kemalettin Sami Bey, Mustafa Kemal Pasha recounted the events in his speech, "It was night... As I left the Assembly building to go to Çankaya, I encountered Kemalettin Sami and Halit Pasha, who had been waiting for me in the corridors. I read in the newspaper that they had come to Ankara that day under the headline 'A Farewell and A Welcome.' I hadn't spoken to them yet. When I realized they had been waiting late to speak with me, I had them informed through Defense Minister Kazım Pasha to come to dinner. I also told İsmet Pasha, Kazım Pasha, and Fethi Bey to join me at Çankaya. When I arrived at Çankaya, I met Fuat, a member of parliament from Rize, and Ruşen Eşref Bey from Afyonkarahisar. I invited them to dinner as well.
During the meal, I said, 'Tomorrow, we will declare the Republic.' The friends present immediately agreed with my idea. We stopped eating. From that moment on, I organized a brief program on how to proceed and assigned tasks to my friends. You will see the implementation of the program I created and the instructions I gave.
Gentlemen, you see that I did not see the necessity or need to invite and discuss with all my friends in Ankara to decide to declare the Republic. Because I had no doubt that they thought like me, as a matter of fact and nature. However, some individuals who were not in Ankara at the time considered the declaration of the Republic as a reason to be offended and to part ways with us, despite having no authority and without being informed or having their opinions and consent sought."
"Türkiye will be happy, successful, and victorious." That night, Mustafa Kemal Pasha and İsmet Pasha prepared a draft law to amend some articles of the 1921 Constitution for the country's survival.
The provision stating, "The form of government of the Turkish state is the republic," was discussed in the Grand National Assembly and accepted with the votes of all 158 members present at 8:30 PM. The declaration of the Republic was met with cheers of "Long Live the Republic" and applause.
Thus, the management style of the new state was clearly defined. With the declaration of the Republic, the principle "Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation" was firmly established in state governance.
Following this, the presidential election was held. In the secret ballot, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha received the votes of all 158 deputies and was elected as the first president of the new Turkish state by the Grand National Assembly. Upon taking the podium, Mustafa Kemal Pasha concluded his speech with the words, "The Republic of Türkiye will be happy, successful, and victorious."
This resolved the debates regarding the name and regime of the state, and the issue of the presidency was settled. The method of establishing the government was reorganized.
Accordingly, the president would appoint the prime minister, who would select the ministers and present them for the president's approval. This implementation marked the transition from the Assembly Government System to a parliamentary regime.
"National holiday" began to be celebrated. İsmet İnönü was tasked with forming the first government, while Fethi Okyar was elected as the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly.
The Turkish people celebrated the declaration of the Republic on the night of October 29 and the day of October 30. A decree published on October 26, 1924, decided to celebrate the declaration of the Republic with 101 cannon salutes and organized events.
In line with this decision, the events on October 29, 1924, marked the beginning of the celebrations.
On February 2, 1925, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed a law for October 29 to be a holiday. The proposal was reviewed by the Assembly's Constitutional Commission and was concluded on April 18.
With the acceptance of the proposal in the Grand National Assembly on April 19, October 29 has been celebrated as a "national holiday" since 1925.
As of 2024, the Republic of Türkiye proudly and joyfully celebrates its 101st anniversary.
