1908 Ottoman general election

General elections were held in November and December 1908 for all 288 seats of the Chamber of Deputies of the Ottoman Empire. They were the first elections contested by political parties.[1]

Only men were allowed to vote during the Second Constitutional Era

Background

The Young Turk Revolution in July resulted in the restoration of the 1876 constitution, ushering in the Second Constitutional Era, and the reconvening of the 1878 parliament, bringing back many of the surviving members of that parliament; the restored parliament's single legislation was a decree to formally dissolve itself and call for new elections.

Electoral system

The elections were held in two stages. In the first stage, voters elected secondary electors (one for the first 750 voters in a constituency, then one for every additional 500 voters). In the second stage the secondary electors elected the members of the Chamber of Deputies.[1]

Results

The Committee of Union and Progress, the main driving force behind the revolution, could count on the support of about 60 deputies,[2] gaining the upper hand against the Liberal Union (LU). The LU was liberal in outlook, bearing a strong British imprint, and closer to the Palace. The new parliament consisted of 147 Turks, 60 Arabs, 27 Albanians, 26 Greeks, 14 Armenians, 10 Slavs, and four Jews.[1]

References
  1. Myron E. Weiner, Ergun Özbudun (1987) Competitive Elections in Developing Countries, Duke University Press, p334
  2. Philip Mansel, "Constantinople City of the Worlds Desire" quoted in Straits: The origins of the Dardanelles campaign
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