General Assembly مجلس عمومی | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Senate Chamber of Deputies |
| History | |
| Founded | 23 December 1876[1][2] 23 July 1908[1][2] |
| Disbanded | 14 February 1878[1][2] 11 April 1920[1][2] |
| Preceded by | Divan-ı Hümayun |
| Succeeded by |
|
| Structure | |
| Meeting place | |
| Dolmabahçe Palace (1876–1878) Darülfünûn building (1876–1878; 1908) Çırağan Palace (1909) Cemile Sultan Palace (1910–1920) | |

TheGeneral Assembly[3] (Ottoman Turkish:مجلس عمومی,romanized: Meclis-i Umûmî; French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" orGenel Parlamento;French:Assemblée Générale) was the first attempt atrepresentative democracy by theimperial government of theOttoman Empire. Also known as theOttoman Parliament (French:Parlement Ottoman[4]), it was located inConstantinople (Istanbul) and was composed oftwo houses: an upper house (Senate,Meclis-i Âyân), and a lower house (Chamber of Deputies,Meclis-i Mebusân).[5]
The General Assembly wasfirst constituted on 23 December 1876 and initially lasted until 14 February 1878, when it was dissolved bySultanAbdul Hamid II.[1][2]
As a result of theYoung Turk Revolution which brought substantial reforms and larger participation bypolitical parties, the General Assembly was revived 30 years later, on 23 July 1908, with theSecond Constitutional Era.[1][2] The Second Constitutional Era ended on 11 April 1920, when the General Assembly was dissolved by theAllies during theoccupation of Constantinople in the aftermath ofWorld War I.[1][2]
Many members of the dissolved Ottoman Parliament in Constantinople later became members of theGrand National Assembly of Turkey inAnkara (known in English as Angora in the Ottoman and pre-1930 Republic eras), which was established on 23 April 1920, during theTurkish War of Independence.[1][2]