On the date of 22nd October 1922, the Allied States invited the TBMM Government to the peace conference to be organised in Lausanne. However, the Allied State had also invited Istanbul Government to this conference. Under these circumstances, Ghazi had two important problems that should be resolved and even with emergent conditions for the resolution. The selection of the chairman of the committee that would represent the TBMM Government and the resolution of the problem in case that the Allied States insisted upon their old opinions and invited Istanbul Government to the conference.
A general atmosphere was established about the composition of the committee that would represent Ankara Government. Accordingly, this committee would be composed of Rauf Bey who was the Chairman of the Board of Ministers, Yusuf Kemal Bey who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Riza Nur Bey who was the Minister of Health. Rauf Bey had some hesitation about the accomplishment of this task on his own and he wanted that Ismet Pasha would assist him in relation with these works. Mustafa Kemal preferred that Ismet Pasha should go as a Prime Minister rather than a counsellor.
Pursuant to the conclusion of Mudanya Conference, Ismet Pasha went to Bursa. Therefore, Mustafa Kemal went to Bursa in order to negotiate with him to take a definite resolution about sending Ismet Pasha as the chairman of the committee to Lausanne. He obtained detailed information about the organisation of the Mudanya Conference. However, he did not explain his thoughts to Ismet Pasha in advance. Before his departure from Ankara, Yusuf Kemal Bey had told him that this work could be best accomplished by Ismet Pasha. He immediately sent a confidential telegram to Yusuf Kemal Bey to Ankara. He ordered that he should resign from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as soon as possible and provide his support for the assignation of Ismet Pasha to this ministry. Yusuf Kemal Bey sent an affirmative reply to this telegram immediately. Mustafa Kemal notified the chairmanship of the committee to Ismet Pasha as a fait accompli and he ordered that he would go to Lausanne as the chairman of the committee.
However, the main significant problem was to find a solution in order to prevent Istanbul Government from sending a representative. The sultanate was abolished on the date of 1st November 1922. The caliphate remained valid for a specific period. However, there were some considerable events that took place in the Assembly before the date of 1st November.
Mustafa Kemal, Rauf Bey, Refet Pasha and Ali Fuat Pasha had gathered in the house of Rafet Pasha in Keçiören and they discussed about the resolution to be taken in relation with the problem of the sultanate. Actually, Rauf Bey declared his opinions clearly and he did not conceal his faith and fidelity in the sultanate and caliphate. Refet Pasha agreed with the thoughts of Rauf Bey. Ali Fuat Pasha had become alienated to these events since he had newly arrived from Moscow and he did not declare any definite or explicit opinion about this matter. Mustafa Kemal was contented with his statement that The problem that we are dealing is not the problem of today. There is no need for some of the people in the Assembly to get flurried and frightened in relation with this issue. Rauf Bey was satisfied with this reply. However, Mustafa Kemal was extremely determined and he would perform his historical obligation in relation with this issue as soon as possible. As a matter of fact, he had firstly invited Rauf Bey to his room in the first day for the execution of his plans. He told him that We will separate the sultanate and caliphate and abolish the sultanate. You will declare the appropriateness of this issue from the rostrum. He pretended that he did not know the opinions of Rauf Bey about this issue. The most interesting issue was that Rauf Bey had given an affirmative speech in relation with this issue for two times in the rostrum of the Assembly. He also recommended that the date of the abolition of the sultanate would be declared as a festival day.
Ataturk did not want to make a comment on this attitude of Rauf Bele. According to our opinion, Rauf Bey was a person who had much confidence in his leader despite that he was respectful to the ruler and the caliph and he obeyed to his desire from the heart.
This issue was put on the agenda of the Assembly on the date of 30th October 1922. Mustafa Kemal provided an explanation in the meeting of the Group of Defence of Rights on the date of 31st October. There were some discussions in the Assembly on the date of 1st November 1922. The motions in relation with this issue were sent to the Commissions of Constitution, Religious Affairs and Justice. These three commissions had gathered in a room together. This was a small room. Mustafa Kemal had sat in a corner and he listened to what was discussed. The chairman of this gathering was Hodja Mufit Effendi. The Muslim preachers that were the members of the Commission of the Religious Affairs supposed that the caliphate could not be separated from the sultanate according to their opinion. They insisted on these suppositions despite the lack of any scientific base and any other persons did not allege any opinion against these suppositions. Mustafa Kemal could not withstand these suppositions and he wanted permission from the Chairman of the Mixed Commission to take the chair for a speech.
He got on the table in front of him and he gave an extremely determined speech stating that You, Effendis! The sovereignty has not ever been granted to anybody through discussions as required by science. The sovereignty is obtained with power, determination and force. Osmanogullari dynasty had established dominion over the sovereignty of the Turkish nation in a forcible manner. These unlawful actions lasted for six centuries. However, the Turkish nation cries that it cannot withstand these aggressors any more and the nation has rebelled against them and actually established its own self-determination upon the attainment of sovereignty. It is not the problem of whether we will give up the national sovereignty or not. This will be done come hell or high water. It will be proper for all of you that gathered in this room, the Assembly and everybody to take this incident as a natural event. Otherwise, the real case will be determined duly in accordance with the procedures. However, some heads will be lost.
Afterwards, Mustafa Kemal presented some scientific explanations about the requirement for this separation. The Muslim preachers must have come to their senses. Actually, they told Mustafa Kemal that they got the benefit of these explanations that Mustafa Kemal had provided and they were of the same opinion with him henceforth. The draft law was arranged as soon as possible. Then, this draft was read in the second session of the Assembly. Mustafa Kemal wanted the ratification of this issue with the unanimous vote of the Assembly. Actually, the chairman put the draft law to vote and he expressed the result with adopted with the unanimous vote. A trembling voice tried to say, I am against. However, this voice of a single person disappeared within the joy of the enthusiastic group and the Ottoman Sultanate vanished on the date of 1st November 1922.