Abstract:

At the end of the XIX. century, Constitutionalism thought gradually gained strength in the Ottoman Empire and Sultan II. Abdulhamid declared the Basis of Law on December 23, 1876. The first Parliamentary Assembly was opened in 1877 after the announcement of the Law-i Esasi, the first modern constitution in Turkish history, but after the 1877 Ottoman-Russian war broke out, Sultan II. Abdulhamid took a vacation for nearly thirty years. The parliament, which was opened with the declaration of the Constitutional Monarchy in 1908, served until December 1918. In the Ottoman Empire, which went to elections again in 1919, the last Ottoman Parliamentary Assembly elections officially started on October 7, 1919 with the election decision of the Ali Rıza Pasha Government. It was not easy to hold elections in these regions, especially due to the heavy occupations in Western Anatolia. Among these, elections were held in Aydın and Menteşe Sancaks, which were under Italian occupation in the south of Menderes, because of a more moderate policy than other occupation forces. As a result of the elections held in these two regions, five deputies, three from Aydın and two from Menteşe, were elected to the Ottoman Parliament. While Hüseyin Kazım (Kadri) Bey, Cami (Abdülkadir Cami Baykurt) Bey, Emin Bey were elected from Aydın, Mustafa Hilmi (Uran) Bey and Halil İbrahim Efendi were the members of the Menteşe Sanjak. The Last Ottoman Parliament convened on 12 January 1920 and held twenty-four sessions until it was occupied by the British on 16 March 1920.