 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(March 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Constitutional history of Turkey |
|---|
 First Ottoman Parliament at theOld Darülfünun building |
| Constitutional documents |
| Constitutions |
| Referendums |
| Constitutional Court |
Part ofa series on the |
|---|
| History of the Ottoman Empire |
.svg) |
| Timeline (Territorial evolution) |
Rise(1299–1453) |
Classical Age(1453–1566)
|
Transformation(1566–1703)
|
Old Regime(1703–1789)
|
Decline and Modernization(1789–1908)
|
Dissolution(1908–1922)
|
| Historiography (Ghaza,Decline) |
TheFirst Constitutional Era (Ottoman Turkish:مشروطيت;Turkish:Birinci Meşrutiyet Devri) was a period ofconstitutional monarchy in theOttoman Empire from 23 December 1876 until 14 February 1878.[1][2] It began with the promulgation of theOttoman constitution, written by members of theYoung Ottomans. The Young Ottomans were dissatisfied by theTanzimat and pushed for a constitutional government similar to that in Europe.[3] The constitutional period started with thedethroning of SultanAbdul Aziz. AfterMurad V's ephemeral reign,Abdul Hamid II took his place as Sultan.[4] The era ended with the suspension of the Ottoman Parliament and the constitution by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, with which he restoredabsolute monarchy.
The first constitutional era did not include aparty system. At the time, the Ottoman Parliament (known as theGeneral Assembly of the Ottoman Empire) was seen as the voice of the people but not as a venue for the formation of political parties and organizations. The elections for the Parliament were held in accordance with theprovisional electoral regulations. TheGeneral Assembly of the Ottoman Empire was composed in two houses. Thelower house of thebicameral legislature was theChamber of Deputies, while theupper house was theSenate, or Chamber of Notables. The initial selection of deputies was made byadministrative councils in the provinces (also calledMeclis-i Umumi).
After the establishment of the General Assembly in the provinces, the members selected the deputies from within the assembly to form theChamber of Deputies in the capital. The Chamber had 115 members and reflected the distribution of themillets in the empire. In the second elections, there were 69 Muslim millet representatives and 46 representatives of other millets (Jews,Phanariotes,Armenians). The second body was theSenate, and the members were selected by the Sultan. The Senate had only 26 members. It was designed to replace theporte, and theGrand Vizier become the speaker of Senate. The two elections happened between 1877 and 1878.
The members' reactions to the approaching war were very strong, and SultanAbdul Hamid II asked for new elections citing theRusso-Turkish War (1877–1878).
The life of the second term of the parliament was merely a few days, as after the initial speeches by the members fromBalkanvilayets,Abdul Hamid II closed the parliament, citing social unrest.
The president of the Chamber of Deputies was a Deputy fromJerusalem,Yusif Dia Pasha Al Khalidi.[citation needed]
Reign ofAbdul Hamid II | ||
|---|---|---|
| Major events | _p259_Sultan_Abdul_Hamid_II.jpg) | |
| Associated buildings | ||
| Wars | ||
| Rebellions | ||
| Family |
| |
| Wives | ||
