Sunday was a special day in the history of the Turkish republic. The 100th anniversary of the republic was observed with celebrations across the country and in its diplomatic missions abroad.
Events were held with the participation of high-ranking officials in 81 provinces as the nation joined the celebrations with flags and posters of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first president of the century-old republic.
In the early hours of Sunday, a delegation of government officials and party leaders, generals, and top judges visited Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, on the occasion of Republic Day. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan led the delegation paying tributes to Atatürk and his circle of soldiers and state leaders who established the republic after a fierce War of Independence. The delegation laid a wreath at Atatürk’s mausoleum.
Erdoğan then hosted a reception of ambassadors and high-level officials on the occasion at the Presidential Complex and attend an oil painting exhibition on the centenary. Representatives of foreign missions, heads of public agencies, ministers and party leaders attended the reception, along with a group of youth, athletes, families of veterans and martyrs, and relatives of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Guests of the reception were presented with coins and stamps issued by the state to mark the centenary of the republic. Guests also signed a painting containing the coats of arms of the Presidency and a logo of the 100th anniversary of the republic. Visitors then toured the exhibition that included portraits of presidents of the republic, from Atatürk to Erdoğan, and paintings of "100 Works" accomplished by the centenary – from locally-made vehicle Togg to a drillship and products of the Turkish defense industry, which became self-reliant after decades of imports, from drones to warships.
He is later scheduled to travel to Istanbul, the country’s most populated city, to watch a procession of 100 military ships on the Bosporus to mark the day. Stunts by fighter jets, drones and a firework display over the city will accompany the celebrations. Erdoğan is also scheduled to address the nation at 7:23 p.m.
Erdoğan wrote in the memorial book of the mausoleum during his visit as part of a state tradition and expressed Türkiye’s pride and joy to mark the 100th anniversary of the republic. “In this turning point of our history, we once again remember your Excellency, your colleagues, revered martyrs who sacrificed their lives for independence, and veterans. During our 21 years in government spent serving the country, the nation, we tried to preserve what you entrusted to us. As an administration that made the biggest investments in the history of Türkiye, we are determined to crown the second century of the republic as the ‘Century of Türkiye’ along with our allies and nation,” he said, referring to his ambitious visionary document announced in 2022.
The century of Türkiye contains major action plans for coming years in all fields, from economy to human rights. “Our republic is in the safest, most skilled hands. May your soul be blessed and happy 100 years,” Erdoğan concluded his remarks in the memorial book.
Elsewhere, lawmakers inaugurated events at the War of Independence Museum within the original building of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) where the republic was declared to the nation 100 years ago in the capital Ankara. Ankara also hosted a parade of military bands, including the Mehteran or Ottoman military band, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) military band and the Azerbaijan military band which performed a Centenary Anthem and other anthems associated with the republic, in front of Parliament. Dignitaries also attended a march between the former and current buildings of the Parliament.
Solotürk, an aerial stunt team of the Turkish Air Forces Command performed stunts over Anıtkabir for the occasion.
In Istanbul, a series of events, including exhibitions and screening of videos about the past and future of the republic on giant screens set up in major squares were held throughout the day.
The republic, which replaced the collapsed Ottoman Empire, was declared a few months after an international treaty recognized the independence of the new state, and the declaration of Ankara as its capital was made. Atatürk, a veteran Ottoman officer who launched the struggle for independence when he secretly traveled to the northern province of Samsun in 1919, was the de facto leader of the new state.
In the book "Nutuk" ("The Speech"), which compiled Atatürk's speeches between 1919 and 1923, the leader recounts the declaration of the republic as something that happened over the course of a dinner with leading figures of the War of Independence. "During the dinner (on Oct. 28, 1923), I told them we would declare the republic tomorrow. All my colleagues agreed with me and we took a break from the dinner to discuss what to do next. I never felt the need to discuss the plan to declare the republic because I never doubted that they thought differently than me," he was quoted as saying.
Atatürk along with Ismet Inönü, who succeeded Atatürk as president, drafted a bill changing the 1921 Constitution in which an amendment changed the State of Türkiye to the Republic of Türkiye, and it was approved by Parliament the next day. Atatürk was officially declared the first president at the same session of Parliament, amid chants of "Long live the republic!" by lawmakers and thunderous applause. Atatürk famously concluded his speech after the election as the first president of the republic with the following remarks: "The Republic of Türkiye will always be blissful, victorious and successful." National celebrations ensued after the declaration, but the first large-scale celebrations were on Oct. 29, 1924. In 1925, Parliament approved a proposal to declare the day a national holiday.
Building upon the legacy of a semi-parliamentarian system during the last years of the Ottoman Empire, the new republic introduced a wider democracy in which Atatürk is hailed as the great state leader credited with rebuilding a devastated country with new ideals. Over the following decades, the democracy born out of the republic was disrupted by multiple coup attempts. The first one was in 1960, about a decade after the first truly multiparty elections brought the Democrat Party to power. The last one was in 2016 when the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) tried to topple the democratically elected government. Yet, at the end of the day, the republic's core values, most notably the sovereignty of the nation, overcame the odds.
Under Erdoğan, Türkiye declared a new set of goals under the motto “Century of Türkiye” regarding the centenary of the republic. Economically, the government plans to increase national income and exports, while other goals include a national health care system that covers every citizen, judiciary reforms, minimizing dependence on imports in defense and an active and efficient foreign policy.
