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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Turkish Parliament at the crossroads in its 94th year - MURAT YETKİN

Turkish Parliament at the crossroads in its 94th year

It was April 23, 1920 when the forces of national resistance announced a national Parliament in Ankara.

The resistance, led by Mustafa Kemal, was against the invading Greek, British, French, Italian, Armenian and Georgian armies, as well as the Sultanate in Istanbul. It was not until Istanbul was invaded by the British and French troops on March 16 and they were approved of by Sultan Vahdettin, the last ruler of a nearly six-centuries-long Ottoman dynasty, that the Ankara-based resistance decided to go for an alternative convention. It was only after the fall of Istanbul that a group of members of (the former) Parliament – then dispersed by the occupying troops – left the capital to join the resistance in Ankara. Not only them, but a number of ministers, including Defense Minister Fevzi Çakmak and his Chief of Staff İsmet İnönü, joined the Kemalist forces in Ankara.

More:Turkish Parliament at the crossroads in its 94th year - MURAT YETKİN