The Constitution of 1924, formally titled the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey (

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...

: ''Teşkilât-ı Esasiye Kanunu''; tr, 1924 Türk Anayasası), was the fundamental law of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

from 1924 to 1961. It replaced the Constitution of 1921 and was ratified by the

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

following the proclamation of the

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

on October 29, 1923. It was ratified on April 20, 1924. It remained in force until the 1960 ''coup d'état'', following which it was replaced by the Constitution of 1961.

Summary

The Turkish Constitution of 1924 had 105 articles and was divided into six sections: * Section I - Fundamental Provisions, Articles 1-8: Section I describes the basic structural concepts of the newly established Turkish government. These provisions included establishment of a

which places

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

and

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

power in the hands of the

who are given the authority to elect the

President of Turkey The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the government of Tu ...

Judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudication, adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and app ...

power is extended to independent courts that are sanctioned by the National Assembly in accordance to their established laws. The provisions also declare the

national capital A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the g ...

of Angora, the state religion of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

, and Turkish as the official

national language A national language is a language (or language variant, e.g. dialect) that has some connection—de facto or de jure—with a nation. There is little consistency in the use of this term. One or more languages spoken as first languages in the te ...

. * Section II - The Legislative Power, Articles 9-30: Section II establishes the electoral laws of the new government, the legislative capabilities of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

, and the procedure for the election of the

. The right to vote is given to Turkish

citizens Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

who are 18 years of age or older, and those age 30 and older may run for official positions in government if they meet the requirements of office.

Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

s for members of the National Assembly take place every four years and those elected maintain their position until their term ends and they are not reelected or are

impeached Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

by a vote among the Assembly. The National Assembly is given sole legislative power as well as control over the

national budget A government budget is a document prepared by the government and/or other political entity presenting its anticipated tax revenues (Inheritance tax, income tax, corporation tax, import taxes) and proposed spending/expenditure (Healthcare, Educat ...

and the creation of

international treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

. * Section III - The Executive Power, Articles 31-52: Section III establishes the electoral procedure for the office of the

and the limits of the powers of the executive. The president is elected every four years following the election of the National Assembly, is elected by the members of the new National Assembly, and takes power immediately following his election. This section also gives the president power to approve and veto legislation drafted by the National Assembly, appoint his own

cabinet ministers A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...

, and grants the president authority over the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

as chief of the armed forces. * Section IV - The Judicial Power, Articles 53-67: Section IV elaborates upon the fundamental structure of the

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

under the new republic by establishing the duties of officially appointed

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

s and the creation of a 21 member High Court. This High Court consists of 11 members of the Court of Appeals and 10 members of the Council of State who are elected to the High Court by their own membership. The decisions of the High Court are final and cannot be subject to confirmation or veto by the other branches of power. * Section V - Public Law of the Turks, Articles 68-88: Section V defines the general rights and freedoms afforded to the

Turkish people The Turkish people, or simply the Turks ( tr, Türkler), are the world's largest Turkic ethnic group; they speak various dialects of the Turkish language and form a majority in Turkey and Northern Cyprus. In addition, centuries-old ethnic ...

under the new government. These rights include

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...

freedom of assembly Freedom of peaceful assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right or ability of people to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their collective or shared ide ...

freedom of movement Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights' ...

, and

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

. This section also specifically defines the term "Turk" in a legal manner and also establishes the basic foundations of the

tax codes Tax law or revenue law is an area of legal study in which public or sanctioned authorities, such as federal, state and municipal governments (as in the case of the US) use a body of rules and procedures (laws) to assess and collect taxes in a ...

to be used under the new republic. * Section VI - Miscellaneous Provisions, Government Officials and Employees, Finance, and Amendments to the Constitution, Articles 89-105: The final section of the Constitution of 1924 includes provisions that define the territories that make up the new Turkish state, define eligibility for candidates for positions in government jobs, establish the procedure for creation of a

, and establish the procedure in which

amendment An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. They ...

s to the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

may be presented to the National Assembly.

Timeline

The Constitution of 1924 was in application for 36 years from 1924 until 1961. During this time, it served as the basis for many fundamental changes that sought to transform

into a modern, secular and democratic Republic. *The ratification of the Constitution on April 20, 1924. *The list of 150 personae non gratae of Turkey, ratified on April 23, 1924 (revised June 1, 1924), declared about 150 persons, who were holding high positions within the imperial government or were fierce supporters of the Ottoman Sultan, unwanted in the new Republic.

Amendments

The first change occurred on April 10, 1928, which changed, inter alia, Article 2 and the provision of "Religion of the Turkish state is Islam" was removed.beykent.edu.tr
TC Anayasaları, 1921, 1924, 1961 ve 1982 Anayasalarını karşılaştırılması
Further changes followed on 10 and December 11, 1931 and 1934 respectively. As a result, women were given the right to vote and stand for election. In 1937, the constitution was changed twice. Law No. 3115 of February 5, 1937 enshrined the six basic principles of

Kemalism Kemalism ( tr, Kemalizm, also archaically ''Kamâlizm''), also known as Atatürkism ( tr, Atatürkçülük, Atatürkçü düşünce), or The Six Arrows ( tr, Altı Ok), is the founding official ideology of the Republic of Turkey.Eric J. Zurche ...

in the Constitution. On January 10, 1945, the constitution was revised with Law No. 4695 in the sense of

Turkification Turkification, Turkization, or Turkicization ( tr, Türkleştirme) describes a shift whereby populations or places received or adopted Turkic attributes such as culture, language, history, or ethnicity. However, often this term is more narrowly ...

of the language and translated into modern Turkish. However, this recast was reversed by Law No 5997 of December 24, 1952 (published on December 31, 1952 in Resmi Gazete Sayı 8297), which restored the constitution to its constitution before 1945.

References

External links

Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM)Complete text of the Turkish Constitution of 1924 in TurkishTurkish Constitution of 1924 in English as it was adopted, without amendments
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turkish Constitution Of 1924 Constitutions of Turkey Defunct constitutions

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

1924 documents

Summary

Timeline

Amendments

See also

References

External links