The 96th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey is being celebrated across the country on Tuesday.
HIGH-LEVEL STATE OFFICIALS ATTENDED THE CEREMONY
Marking the day, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in the capital Ankara.
Vice President Fuat Oktay, Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop, ministers, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Good (IYI) Party leader Meral Akşener, Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Mustafa Destici and high state officials attended the wreath-laying ceremony at Anıtkabir.
Government ceremony in the capital Ankara, art events and fireworks in Istanbul, concerts and torchlight processions in the Aegean Izmir province are among the symbols of Republic Day celebrations in Turkey.
On Oct. 29, 1923, Ataturk officially declared the name of the nation and proclaimed the country’s status as a republic.
A vote then took place in the Grand National Assembly, and Ataturk, a revolutionary statesman, was elected the first president of the Republic of Turkey by unanimous vote.
Since then, Turkey celebrates the Republic Day every Oct. 29.
