Turkey celebrated the founding of the republic 100 years ago by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan laid a wreath at Ataturk’s mausoleum in the capital Ankara on Sunday. There were celebrations all over the country, with red and white Turkish flags and portraits of the country’s founder hanging from buildings.
Atatürk proclaimed the republic on October 29, 1923, over a year after the official end of the Ottoman Empire. He introduced reforms based on the Western model and a strictly secular course, namely the separation of religion and state.
In the 1930s, women were given the right to vote and stand for election and can therefore vote and be elected. The Arabic alphabet was replaced by the Latin alphabet. To this day, there is a personality cult surrounding Atatürk (in German: father of the Turks). He is controversial, among other things, because of his minority policy.
Critics accuse Erdogan of Islamizing Turkey and thereby undermining the ideology of the country’s founder. The president is considered the most powerful politician since Ataturk and repeatedly glorifies the Ottoman Empire in his speeches.
(yam/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
