Who is the first president of our assembly that established our republic?

Western Black Sea People, Mehmet Şerif Bey

Educator, politician, Deputy Mehmet Şerif Bey, who is referred to as Şerif Bey and also as Mehmet Şerif in the parliamentary records, is a true Western Black Sea person.

He was born in Kırklareli (Çakıllı village-Vize), which is the westernmost province of the Western Black Sea Region in terms of Turkey, in 1845.

His father's name is Mustafa, his mother's name is Adile. After graduating from the School of Sultani (Galatasaray High School) in Istanbul in 1868, he entered the Ministry of Education and worked in Pristina, Chios, Ankara and Kastamonu Educational Directorates.

He retired on August 23, 1899 when he was the Director of Kastamonu Education and settled here.

While the Pasha sanjak was in Kastamonu, he joined the national struggle and became the 1st Term Sinop Sanjak Deputy to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

He directed the first opening of the Assembly, which was established on April 23, 1920, as the first president. He gave the first speech.

On 20 November 1922, he assumed the presidency of the Assembly Committee, as the oldest member, to celebrate the election of the Caliphate on behalf of the Assembly and to deliver the holy relics.

Mehmet Şerif Bey, who is married and has seven children, passed away on September 15, 1929 in Ankara, where he settled when his deputyship ended.

Part of his family continued with the surname "Avcıbaşı", while the other part continued with the surname "Avgan".

Another issue he attached importance to as much as the national will was to build a state of law.

Republic Road

Republic is virtue.

It is the real practice of democracy that makes him wise.

The people choose the one who will rule for a certain period of time.

He chooses with certain powers.

Time and authority are limited.

The Constitution sets the limit.

Law prevails.

It rejects monarchy and oligarchy, in which the sovereign right belongs to a particular person or family.

The greatest threat to the republic is the secret monarchy, the secret oligarchy, the secret aristocracy.

The choice exists in every country.

Choosing what is put before us is not democracy, it is not in accordance with the spirit of the republic.

However, the Turkish Nation has adopted the Republic with almost complete consensus.

Not for a virtuous administration imposed by force…

In order to bring wise rulers to power, where the people can organize, by choosing what they will choose.

First Established Turkic Republics

The Republic of Turkey is not the first Turkish Republic.

The first known Turkish Republic is the Western Thrace Turkish Republic, which was established in 1913.

The Turkish Republic of Azerbaijan also celebrated the 104th anniversary of the republic declared on May 28, 1918.

The Oltu Islamic Committee, which abolished itself with the Turkish army's entry into Oltu on March 25, 1918, can consider itself a republic as a shura government.

The Republic of Turkey Prepared for its 100th Anniversary

Despite its many structural problems, the most fundamental Turkish Republic is the Republic of Turkey, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023.

The foundation of the establishment of the Turkish Republic is undoubtedly the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, which convened on April 23, 1923.

The first president of this parliamentary government, which includes legislative, executive and judicial powers, is Şerif Bey, the son of the Western Black Sea Region, our deputy from Sinop.

Namely, “The occupation of Istanbul not only legitimized the Kuvayi Milliye movement, it also spread and strengthened it. After the occupation, Mustafa Kemal called for the assembly to convene in Ankara. The National Assembly was opened in Ankara on April 23, 1920, under the chairmanship of Sinop Deputy Şerif Bey, with the participation of 115 deputies who were able to come to Ankara from the members of the assembly that was disbanded in Istanbul with the members determined in the elections held under the difficult conditions of the period.

“All the deputies were sitting on the benches brought from the school in the current party building hall (Parliamentary Museum) in the Kusad of the Assembly. There was also a lectern and a presidency. In this modest building, first of all, Sinop Deputy Şerif Bey, who was the oldest member of the parliament, was appointed to the presidency, and Muhittin Baha and Cevdet İzrap, among the young people, were appointed as clerks.”

The First Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Şerif Bey, 23 April 1923 Opening Speech

Mazhar Müfit Kansu from Kastamonu, the civilian wing of our War of Independence and our Republic, was involved in both struggles that strengthened Turkishness. He can also be called the confidant of the Republic of Turkey, the Commander-in-Chief of our War of Independence and its first Chief, Republic M. Kemal Atatürk.

Among the people of the Western Black Sea region, we have a compatriot who has achieved such an honor with the "Tevfik-i Divine" that it is not known whether it is for the honor of the martyrs of the Western Black Sea region, the region that gave the most martyrs in the Çanakkale Wars, or the respect of the future martyrs of the Western Black Sea region, who will give the most martyrs in the War of Independence. written in golden letters in history: Sinop Deputy Mehmet Şerif Bey…

The development of events is very fast. The closure of the Assembly in Istanbul had an accelerating effect in legitimizing the new structure in Ankara. “The Assembly, which was closed on December 21, 1918 after the Armistice of Mondros, was reopened on January 12, 1920. As a result of the acceptance of the National Pact by the last Assembly, which had a short life of three months, the Allies were closed again with the official occupation of Istanbul on 16 March 1920. The National Struggle, which started in Anatolia under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, accelerated its activities with the occupation of Istanbul, and on April 23, 1920, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, a new assembly in Ankara Ulus, was built by the Committee of Union and Progress as the new building. has also been opened. Mehmet Şerif (Avcıoğlu) Bey made the opening speech of this new Assembly as the oldest member”.

Let the first speaker of the First Assembly be evaluated with the person who spoke first after him: Mustafa Kemal Pasha, as the Ankara Deputy, made the first speech on Saturday, the twenty-fourth of April (1920).

Sinop deputy Mehmet Şerif Bey, who was elected to the temporary headship as the oldest member of the Assembly, was going to make the First Speech in the Assembly as follows:

“Honourable community,

You know that Istanbul has been temporarily occupied (temporarily) by foreign (foreign) forces, and the independence of the Caliphate office and government center with all its basic institutions has been revoked. To bow down to this (situation) situation means to accept our nation's forced foreign bondage (foreign slavery). However, our nation, which has the absolute determination to live in complete independence (independence), has been free and free since eternity, strongly and firmly (absolutely) rejected the situation of captivity (this slavery) and immediately started to gather its deputies and take the Assembly. was brought into being (formed your Supreme Council).

As the oldest member (member/temporary president) of this Ali (Supreme) assembly, and with Tevfik-i Divine (Divine Tevfik-success), he personally took over the destiny of our nation in full internal and external independence (within full internal and external independence). (I am opening the Grand National Assembly) by declaring that it has taken over the whole world and that it has started to rule the whole world. I pray to Allah Almighty that He will grant success to all our oppressed provinces, which are under occupation and are being destroyed materially and morally mercilessly through various oppressions and disasters.”

“With these words, the opening of the assembly was carried out and the expression “Grand National Assembly” was used for the first time by Mehmet Şerif Bey.”

Mehmet Şerif Bey, his first activity after the opening speech of the Assembly; On July 7, 1920, Deputy Courthouse Celalettin Arif, Minister of Education Dr. Rıza Nur gave a no-confidence question upon the gentlemen's answer.

Here briefly; It was about the dismissal of some civil and court officials without an investigation and the necessity of conducting an investigation first and giving the necessary punishment as a result of this investigation, in accordance with the law.

Conclusion

Sinop Deputy Mehmet Şerif Bey, one of the special sons of the Western Black Sea Region, is one of the unforgettable figures of the Republic of Turkey, who is preparing for the 100th Anniversary of the Republic.

His family is from the westernmost part of the Western Black Sea (Kırklareli).

He joined the National Struggle from Kastamonu, where he settled as a retirement from the directorate of national education.

Sinop deputy has been appointed (elected).

After the opening of the Assembly, the first President was Sinop Deputy Mehmet Şerif Bey and he made the first speech in the Assembly as the President.

It was the first time that the expression Grand National Assembly was used for this assembly.

After the second month of 1921, the use of the name of the Turkish Grand National Assembly gained continuity. He was the head of the delegation who went to congratulate Abdulmecit, who was elected as the caliph.

“Mehmet Şerif Bey, who participated in 119 votes in the parliament, submitted 3 bills. Today, the tradition of the oldest member of the parliament to preside over the first session as the interim Speaker of the Grand National Assembly, right after the elections, continues today.” M. Şerif Bey, who did not see democracy, which he cared so much, as just an election, made a significant contribution to the essence of the national will. This legacy he left behind is the rule of law.

The presumption of innocence, which has only recently been repeated by the decisions of the Constitutional Court and the ECtHR, was proposed a hundred years ago:

“If an officer is required to be dismissed, he should not be dismissed immediately, his investigation should be carried out in a preliminary way. If his crime is realized, he should be brought to the relevant court, he should be convicted there and that officer should be dismissed. ”

2023, 100th Anniversary. Do not forget.

Western Black Sea people will continue to prefer the state, democracy and law for freedom at the same time.

As usual but stronger...