Foundation of the Great National Assembly (23rd April 1920)
Upon the invasion of Istanbul, Mustafa Kemal Pasha planned to assemble a Council of Founders (Meclis-i Müessisan) and he had had some negotiations with the commanders by the side of the telegraph for two days. Pursuant to the attack and discharge of the Council, he did not even lost a day and he arranged a circular dated 19th March 1920. With this circular, he declared that an Assembly with extraordinary powers would convene in Ankara. In the course of the negotiations that he had carried out, he had been warned against the usage of the term of founders. Therefore, he had used the expression as a council with extraordinary powers (selâhiyet-i fevkalâdeyi haiz). In this circular, he demanded that those among the members of parliament discharged that could come to Ankara should participate in the assembly; and that five members from each province should be elected. He also wanted that these elections should be carried out within 15 days in order to provide the assembly of the majority of the council in Ankara. Upon this invitation, the elections were carried out within a rapid pace and in a serious manner apart from the hesitations and hindrances resulting from the stances of civil chiefs in some places. Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) was opened under the chairmanship of Şerif Bey, Member of Parliament from Sinop that was the eldest member in Ankara on the date of 23rd April 1920. Meanwhile, the Allied States tried to disintegrate and colonise Turkey and the Greek Army was involved in the invasion of the Western Anatolia. Besides, the treacherous activities of the Greek and Armenian minorities that were provoked had been much more concentrated. Finally, the ruler had dissolved the council and surrendered the country and the nation to the Government of Damat Ferit Pasha. Under these circumstances, the foundation of this assembly was of great importance. It is beyond doubt that the foundation of TBMM was realised as a result of the collective struggles and efforts of various people. After being elected as members of parliament, some members were busted by the bandits and killed as a martyr on their way towards Ankara. Similarly, there were some members of parliament that were obliged to borrow some money from the Societies for Defence of Rights since they did not have any money to come to Ankara. However, it must be accepted that Turkish Grand National Assembly was the masterpiece of Mustafa Kemal Pasha.
Some figures within the range of 300-437 were asserted about the number of the members of First TBMM Assembly. This situation resulted from some factors such as the composition of this assembly from both the newly-elected members and the members of the council that was discharged, the resignation of some members elected and the election of new members in their places, some members that preferred any office to the task of representation, and the members whose representation authority were not recognised due to the missing official reports, etc. In an official publication that was published in relation with this issue, the total number of the members of parliament was specified as 338 persons and their names and professions were also stated within this publication broken down by the provinces.
Through the speech of the temporary chairman, Serif Bey in the very first day of the assembly, the TBMM declared that the nation had established its dominion for its own future with full independence and that the nation had started its self-government. Mustafa Kemal Pasha who thought of the formation of a government proposed a motion to the assembly and he had it accepted by the assembly. The principles that were included within the motion and accepted by the assembly were as follows:
It is obligatory to form a government.
It is not appropriate to recognise a temporary governmental president or a deputy of the ruler.
It is a fundamental principle to accept that the national determination determined with the assembly had established dominion in the fate of the country. There is not any power superior to the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
Turkish Grand National Assembly had the concentration legislative and executive powers. A committee to be elected as a representative committee within the assembly shall deal with the governmental affairs. In case that the ruler and the caliph get rid of the pressure and oppression, this committee shall take its proper form in accordance with the legal principles to be arranged by the assembly.
Mustafa Kemal Pasha had these principles to be accepted by the Assembly on the date of 24th April. Thus, he laid foundation for the government to be newly formed. The TBMM Assembly elected a temporary elective committee composed of seven members under the chairmanship of Mustafa Kemal Pasha on the date of 25th May. On the date of 3rd May, the Assembly formed the Committee of Executive Deputies composed of eleven members under the chairmanship of Mustafa Kemal Pasha.
Upon the foundation of Turkish Grand National Assembly, a new and bright period was opened in the Turkish history and this event laid foundation for a new Turkish State. The government that was formed was a public government that was based on the principle of national sovereignty. The governmental regime that was approved was actually the system of republic. However, due to the conditions of the period, this term was not used since it was not the right time to use it. On the contrary, Mustafa Kemal pretended to attach great importance to the ruler and caliph in both his circulars that he published in order to found the assembly and the speeches that he gave in the assembly. He had also included the rescue of the high caliphate and the sultanate of the ruler together with the independence of the country within the duties undertaken by the assembly. Actually, Mustafa Kemal Pasha was aware that the posts of sultanate and caliphate that had a long and deep-rooted tradition had uniting influence and effect in the public opinion. His only support was the Turkish people in the collective struggle to which the nation should participate with all its individuals. Under these circumstances, the Turkish people were left in the dark. Under these circumstances, it would not be sensible to explain them that the Ottoman State had totally collapsed and that the ruler was a puppet in the hands of English people and he did whatever they demanded from him. Despite the stance of the ruler directed towards the eradication of the National Resistance, Mustafa Kemal Pasha considered the ruler and the caliph as a captive enslaved by the enemies that should be rescued. In this stage, the most important issues for Mustafa Kemal Pasha was to unbalance the English plan that aimed to eradicate Turkey and to prevent any weakness of the national potential. Through the foundation of the Assembly, he had accomplished the requirement of his historical decision the establishment of a new Turkish state unconditionally based on national sovereignty- even before one year pursuant to his departure from Istanbul. Not it was the time for the survival of the new state that was founded and the accomplishment of the struggle for independence.