October 29, 1923

Proclamation of the Republic of Turkey

Turkey proclaims the republic and elects Mustafa Kemal its first president

The republic came out of a cabinet crisis. The government had resigned two days earlier and the Assembly could not agree on a replacement.

29 October 1923: a deadlock settled by constitution

Fethi Okyar's cabinet resigned on 27 October 1923, and the Grand National Assembly struggled to build a replacement under its assembly-government system. Mustafa Kemal Pasha used the deadlock to propose constitutional provisions for a republic, a president and cabinet government.

The Assembly amended the 1921 Constitution through Law No. 364, adding that the Turkish state's form of government was a republic and establishing a presidency elected by the Assembly from among its own members.

158 votes, twice over

The amendment was adopted unanimously by the 158 deputies participating in the vote. Immediately afterward the Assembly elected its speaker, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, as the republic's first president — again with 158 votes.

A 101-gun salute carried the announcement beyond the chamber. İsmet Pasha formed the first republican cabinet the following day.

What the evening did not change

The Ottoman sultanate was not abolished that night; the Assembly had done that on 1 November 1922. Ankara had already been made the capital by law on 13 October 1923.

Nor did the state become constitutionally secular. The same amendment expressly retained Islam as the state religion — a clause removed only in 1928.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 5 sources 2 audit passes

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