Ottoman Liberal People's Party () was a political party founded during the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

period under the leadership of Ali Fethi Bey by state officials and politicians who resigned from the Union and Progress Party following its 1918 congress.

Mustafa Kemal Pasha Mustafa () is one of the names of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic language, Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in t ...

was one of its prominent supporters.

Intraparty opposition

On September 30, 1918, the Committee of Union and Progress convened under the chairmanship of

Talaat Pasha Mehmed Talât (1 September 187415 March 1921), commonly known as Talaat Pasha or Talat Pasha, was an Ottoman Young Turk activist, revolutionary, politician, and convicted war criminal who served as the leader of the Ottoman Empire from 191 ...

. Speaking at this meeting, Ali Fethi Bey said the following: This speech caused the opposition within the party to rally around Ali Fethi Bey and laid the foundations of a new party. At the October 10, 1918 parliamentary meeting, Ali Fethi Bey broke away from the party by running for the chairmanship of the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

despite the party's decision on Halil Bey, and although he lost in this vote, he received 53 votes.

Foundation

Liberal People's Party was founded under the leadership of Ali Fethi Bey by civil servants who left the Union and Progress Party during the government of

Ahmed Izzet Pasha Ahmed Izzet Pasha (1864 – 31 March 1937 Ottoman Turkish: احمد عزت پاشا), known as Ahmet İzzet Furgaç after the Turkish Surname Law of 1934, was a Turkish-Albanian soldier and statesman. He was a general during World War I and al ...

. There is no exact information about the date of its foundation. On October 19, 1918, it is stated that the party was established in the Parliament. Based on this, it is estimated that the party was founded a few days before. It gained the support of about 30 MPs in the Chamber of Deputies.

Party program

* On or after November 1, 1918, there was a 94-point party program published in various newspapers in Istanbul. * While the religion of the state was defined as Islam in Article 1 of the party's program, the freedom of opinion in Article 3 was seen as a liberal step. * From Article 50 to Article 60, the party's education policy was stated. Private educational institutions were allowed, provided that they were under the supervision of the state, and in addition, the establishment of agricultural and industrial schools was envisioned. * The party envisaged a production-based economic program and emphasized the importance of road construction and maritime trade.

Parliament and party activities

OHAF, together with the Renewal Party, took an oppositional stance against the grand vizierate of

Ahmet Tevfik Pasha Ahmet Tevfik Pasha (‎; 11 February 1843 – 8 October 1936), later Ahmet Tevfik Okday after the Turkish Surname Law of 1934, was an Ottoman diplomat and statesman of Crimean Tatar origin. He was the last grand vizier of the Ottoman Empir ...

. Both parties were seen as the continuation of the Committee of Union and Progress. kaynağında belirtilen kaynak

Dissolution

After the dissolution of the Committee of Union and Progress, the government of

Damat Ferid Pasha " Damat" Mehmed Adil Ferid Pasha ( ;‎ 1853 – 6 October 1923), known simply as Damat Ferid Pasha, was an Ottoman liberal statesman, who held the office of Grand Vizier, the ''de facto'' prime minister of the Ottoman Empire, during two ...

, which acted against the Unionists, also dissolved the Liberal People's Party with the decision of the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

dated May 6, 1919. Regarding the closure, it was explained that they were a renamed version of the Committee of Union and Progress and for this reason, it was decided to cancel the party's founding petition. Although Yozgat MP Şakir Bey tried to re-establish the party in 1919, he failed to achieve results.

References

{{Ottoman Empire political parties 1918 establishments in the Ottoman Empire 1919 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire Political parties in the Ottoman Empire Political parties established in 1918 Political parties disestablished in 1919