Today in History – 20 April

The new constitution of the Republic of Turkey is enacted

The Republic of Turkey had been founded and the governmental order had been established around the existing laws. However, as the product of extraordinary circumstances, the Constitution of 1921 fell short of organizing governmental and social life. A new constitution was duly needed.

The new constitution had to be based on the sovereignty of the nation and the supremacy of the National Assembly and provide a strong state order. The new draft constitution was reviewed and accepted on April 20, 1924 at the Assembly.

The 1924 Constitution comprised of 105 paragraphs under six sections. One of the fundamental characteristics of the constitution was its recognition of a mixed regime between the Assembly government system and the parliamentary regime. Despite its shortcomings, the 1924 Constitution was the testimony of a critical change in Turkey of that period. With certain amendments, the first constitution remained in effect uninterruptedly for thirty-six years as the longest standing one of its kind in Turkey.