The 101st Anniversary of the Republic! Here is the first speech Atatürk made after being elected President

With the proclamation of the Republic on October 29, 1923, the fate of the Turkish nation was redrawn. The Republic of Türkiye, which the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk called his 'greatest work,' is celebrating its 101st anniversary.

The torch of independence, lit by the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk when he landed in Samsun on May 19, 1919, continues to burn thanks to the great struggle waged by the Turkish nation.

101 years have passed since the proclamation of the Republic, which established the rule that "Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation" in the governance of the state and crowned democracy in Türkiye.

Following the victory of the National Struggle, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk turned the face of the new Turkish state toward modernization and democracy.

After Ankara became the seat of government in Türkiye, it was necessary to clearly define the name of the existing regime and to elect the head of the new state.

Until that day, the duty of head of state had been carried out by Mustafa Kemal Pasha as the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM).

On the other hand, some foreign countries were also requesting that the new state regime in Türkiye be defined more clearly for the ratification of the Treaty of Lausanne.

The resignation of the Council of Deputies on October 27, 1923, and the inability to form a cabinet that would win the confidence of the Assembly also required an urgent solution to the problem.

'GENTLEMEN; WE WILL PROCLAIM THE REPUBLIC TOMORROW'

A crisis emerged on October 25, 1923, with the resignation of the government. This event gave Atatürk the opportunity he had been waiting for to proclaim the republic.

Upon the failure to form a government by the evening of October 28, 1923, Mustafa Kemal Pasha had Latife Hanım prepare a dinner for his friends at the Çankaya Mansion.

Mustafa Kemal Pasha recounted what happened at the dinner, which was also attended by İsmet Pasha, Ali Fuat Pasha, Halit Pasha, and Kemalettin Sami Bey, in his work, the Nutuk (Speech):

"It was night... As I was leaving the Assembly building to go to Çankaya, I ran into Kemalettin Sami and Halit Pashas, who were waiting for me in the corridors. I had read in that day's newspaper under the headline 'A Farewell and A Welcome' that they had come to Ankara when Ali Fuat Pasha was leaving. I had not yet spoken with them. Realizing that they had been waiting there until late to speak with me, I informed them through Minister of National Defense Kazım Pasha that they should come to dinner. I also told İsmet Pasha, Kazım Pasha, and Fethi Bey to come to Çankaya with me. When I arrived at Çankaya, I encountered Rize Deputy Fuat and Afyonkarahisar Deputy Ruşen Eşref Bey, who had come to see me. I invited them to dinner as well.

During dinner, I said, 'We will proclaim the Republic tomorrow.' The friends present immediately agreed with my idea. We left the dinner. From that moment on, I assigned tasks to my friends by creating a short program on how to proceed. You will see the implementation of the program I made and the instructions I gave.

Gentlemen, you see that I did not see any need or necessity to invite all my friends in Ankara to discuss and debate the decision to proclaim the Republic. Because I did not doubt that they actually and naturally thought as I did. However, some people who were not in Ankara at that time considered it a reason to be offended and to separate from us that the republic had been proclaimed without them being informed, and without their thoughts and consent being taken, even though they had no authority."

'THE STATE OF TÜRKİYE IS A REPUBLIC'

That night, Atatürk prepared the draft law that changed some articles of the 1921 Constitution to make the form of government a Republic, together with İsmet İnönü.

The Assembly convened on Monday, October 29, 1923, at 18:00 under the chairmanship of İsmet İnönü.

The proposal submitted by the Constitutional Commission, which included the constitutional amendment, was added to the agenda for urgent discussion.

The draft submitted for consideration included the following provisions:

"Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation.

The form of administration of national affairs is based on the people.

The State of Türkiye is a republic.

The religion of the State of Türkiye is Islam, and its official language is Turkish.

The State of Türkiye is governed by the Grand National Assembly.

The President of the Republic of Türkiye is elected by the National Assembly from among its own members for the duration of one legislative term at the meeting of the General Assembly.

The President continues his duty until his successor is elected. A past president can be re-elected. The President of the Republic of Türkiye is the head of the Turkish State.

In this capacity, when he deems it necessary, he presides over the Grand National Assembly and the Council of Ministers. The Chairman of the Council is selected by the President from among the members of the Assembly.

Other ministers are again selected by the Chairman of the Council from among the deputies. The list of the Council is submitted by the President to the approval of the Grand National Assembly."

'LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC' CRIES AND APPLAUSE...

Speaking on behalf of the commission, Yunus Nadi Bey recalled the events that took place until the Armistice of Mudros and expressed the necessity of proclaiming the republic. Later, Vasıf Bey took the podium and praised the republic.

Following the speeches, the bill was accepted at 20:30 with the votes of all 158 members attending the session.

The proclamation of the Republic was met with cries of "Long live the Republic" and applause. Thus, the form of government of the new state had received its name with full clarity.

With the proclamation of the Republic, the principle of "Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation" also found its place in state administration in its most distinct form.

Later, Eyüp Sabri Hoca Efendi requested that the proceedings continue without delay with the election of the president.

ATATÜRK ELECTED FIRST PRESIDENT

Then, the presidential election began.

In the secret ballot, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who received the votes of all 158 deputies, was elected the first president of the new Turkish state by the TBMM.

Upon this, Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who took the podium, ended his speech with the words, "The Republic of Türkiye will be happy, successful, and victorious."

ATATÜRK'S FIRST SPEECH WITH THE TITLE OF PRESIDENT

The address of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who took the podium with the title of President, to the Assembly was recorded in the TBMM records as follows:

"Gentlemen; our nation, the Turkish nation, which has been subjected to injustice and oppression in the East for centuries, was actually thought to be devoid of the high abilities it possessed by birth.

The ability, talent, and comprehension that our nation has demonstrated in practice in recent years have very well proven how heedless, how far from seeing the truth, and how easily deceived by appearances those who thought badly of it were.

Our nation will be able to show the qualities and value it possesses to the civilized world much more easily with the new name of the government. The Republic of Türkiye will prove with its works that it is worthy of the place it holds among the states of the world.

Friends; the victory that the Turkish nation, which created this high regime, has won in the last four years will show itself several times over from now on. I am obliged to express a need on a point that I consider very important in order to be worthy of this trust and confidence I have gained. That need is the continuation of the love, trust, and support that your high assembly has shown toward my person. Only in this way, and with God's help, do I hope that I will be able to perform the duties you have given and will give me in the best way possible.

I will always work by holding the hands of my esteemed friends very sincerely and firmly, never for a moment seeing myself as separate from their persons. We will always move forward together, relying on the love and trust of the nation. The Republic of Türkiye will be happy, successful, and victorious."

CELEBRATED AS A NATIONAL HOLIDAY SINCE 1925

While İsmet İnönü was tasked with forming the first government, Fethi Okyar was elected Speaker of the TBMM.

The Turkish people celebrated the proclamation of the republic on the night of October 29 and on October 30. With the decree published on October 26, 1924, it was decided that the proclamation of the republic would be celebrated with a 101-gun salute and organized events. In line with the decision, the events on October 29, 1924, became the beginning of the celebrations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed that October 29 be a holiday with a bill on February 2, 1925. The proposal was examined by the Assembly Constitutional Commission and finalized on April 18. With the acceptance of the proposal in the TBMM on April 19, October 29 began to be celebrated as a "national holiday" starting from 1925.

As of 2024, the Republic of Türkiye is celebrating its 101st year with enthusiasm and faith.