Last Ottoman Meclis-i Mebusan in Occupied Istanbul (1920)

After the signing of the Armistice of Mudros (October 30, 1918), the third term of the Ottoman Parliament was abolished by Sultan Vahdettin on December 21, 1918. The abolition of this assembly, in which the Party of Union and Progress were strong, gave freedom of action to the government of Ahmet Tevfik Pasha and Sultan Vahdettin. However, the optimistic atmosphere created by the armistice turned into a negative period with the occupation of many regions of the Ottoman geography, especially İzmir. On the one hand, this occupation, on the other hand, the peace negotiations in which important decisions will be taken and approved on the fate of the Ottoman Empire, have constantly brought up the issue of holding elections and convening a new parliament since the government of Ahmet Tevfik Pasha. The opening of a new parliament would have fulfilled the obligation to obtain the approval of the assembly in international treaties in a constitutional sense, as it made all segments common to the decisions and responsibilities to be taken. The efforts of Ahmet Tevfik Pasha and Damat Ferit Pasha governments to open the parliament were postponed due to the inability to form a consensus among the cabinet members, concern about the strengthening of the Anatolian Movement, ensuring the participation of non-Muslims in the elections and the renewal of voter registers. The coming to power of Ali Riza Pasha's government would have ensured that definite steps were taken regarding the election. At this point, the agreement reached between the Anatolian Movement and the government of Ali Riza Pasha on October 22, 1919, completely paved the way for the elections. In this agreement, it was also decided to hold elections and open the parliament. Thus, between November and December 1919, general elections were held for the last Ottoman Parliament. The most important region of these elections was Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Because the Istanbul elections would set an example to see the attitude of the Ottoman public and politicians. It would be a road map for the Entente Powers, the Ottoman central authority and the Anatolian Movement.

Click to cite.

Note: You can access the citation text via the ‘Actions’ tab in Crossref.