Turkey celebrates 93rd anniversary of the republic

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

AA photo

The celebrations marking the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic began on Oct. 29 with a ceremony at Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Ankara.      

Headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the ceremony was attended by numerous state and military officials including Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaorğlu, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar.      

Erdogan left a star-and-crescent wreath of red and white carnations on Atatürk's tomb, and he observed a moment of silence with other attendees before the playing of the Turkish national anthem.      

Referring to the defeated July 15 coup, Erdoğan wrote in the mausoleum's memorial book: "On the night of July 15, domestic and foreign circles that targeted  independence, democracy, and the legal government of our country were once again defeated thanks to the nation's courage and resistance."

He added that Turkey celebrated the 93rd anniversary of the Republic with "great pride and enthusiasm."

The official proclamation of the Turkish Republic by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk took place on Oct. 29, 1923 when the name of the nation and its status as a republic were declared.

A vote then took place in the Grand National Assembly and Atatürk, a revolutionary statesman, was elected first president of the Republic of Turkey by a unanimous vote. Since then, Turkey celebrates Republic Day every year on Oct. 29.