Turkey marks 94th year of Turkish Republic with celebrations

The official proclamation of the Republic of Turkey by the newly emerged parliament in 1923 was celebrated on its 94th anniversary on Oct. 29, with official ceremonies and public gatherings around the country.

Official celebrations started at Atatürk’s mausoleum Anıtkabir in the early hours of Oct. 29, as top state officials and protocol members gathered to mark Republic Day in Ankara.
The event saw the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar, other state officials and protocol members.

“The spirit that vitalizes our republic is standing firm today, as was true 94 years ago,” Erdoğan wrote in the official notebook of Anıtkabir. “The Republic of Turkey, which is the legacy you left to us, is the result of an uphill struggle full of valor and sacrifice,” he added. “As we celebrate our Republic’s 94th year, we commemorate the memory of our veterans, particularly you and your comrades in arms, and we request God’s mercy for our martyrs,” he wrote.

On Oct. 29, 1923, the newly founded parliament in Ankara proclaimed the regime of Turkey as a republic and voted to name it the “Republic of Turkey.” A vote was then held in the parliament, in which Atatürk was elected as the first president of the Republic of Turkey in a unanimous vote. Since then, Turkey has celebrated Republic Day every year on Oct. 29.

source: Hurriyet Daily News

30.10.2017