Multi-party period of the Republic of Turkey Multi-party period of the Republic of Turkey The multi-party period of the Republic of Turkey started with the establishment of the opposition Liberal Republican Party ("Serbest Cumhuriyet Fırkası") by Ali Fethi Okyar in 1930 after President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk asked Okyar to establish the party as part of an attempted transition to multi-party democracy in Turkey. It was soon closed by the Republican People's Party government, however, when Atatürk found the party to be too influenced by Islamist-rooted reactionary elements. In 1945, the National Development Party ("Milli Kalkınma Partisi") was founded by Nuri Demirağ. The next year, the Democratic Party
General Staff of the Republic of Turkey General Staff of the Republic of Turkey The General Staff of the Republic of Turkey (Turkish: "Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Genelkurmay Başkanlığı", abbreviation: T.C. Gnkur. Bşk.lığı) presides over the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkey, comprising the Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force and Special Forces. The General Command of the Gendarmerie and the Coast Guard, which operate as parts of the internal security forces in peacetime, are subordinate to the Army and Navy Commands, respectively, in wartime, and both have law enforcement and military functions. The Chief of the General Staff is the Commander of the Armed Forces. The current