ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's government marked the 100th anniversary of the creation of the modern, secular republic from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire on Sunday with a firework and drone show in Istanbul as well as a procession of 100 hundred navy ships but little else in the way of pageantry.
Erdogan on Sunday observed the traditional protocol of laying a wreath at Ataturk’s mausoleum in the capital and shook hands with a procession of ambassadors and high-level officials offering their congratulations before traveling to Istanbul to watch the navy ships' procession. Earlier this year, Erdogan invited a slew of foreign leaders to celebrate his reelection for a third term as president but has been criticized for not hosting a reception to mark the republic’s major milestone. State broadcaster TRT announced it was canceling special centennial programs due to the war in Gaza.
Meral Aksener, the leader of the center-right opposition IYI Party, accused the government of not missing the opportunity to ensure the “100th year falls flat." A World War I hero who went on to lead a war of independence against occupying forces, Ataturk proclaimed the Turkish Republic on Oct. 29, 1923. He embarked on a series of radical reforms aimed at turning the majority Muslim nation into a secular, Western-style democracy. He abolished the caliphate, replaced the Arabic script with the Latin alphabet and gave women the right to vote.
The Turkish leader speaks of ushering in a new era he has dubbed “The Century of Turkey,” with a new constitution that would uphold conservative family values and would have no room for what he has called “deviant” LGBTQ+ rights.