One-party period of the Republic of Turkey One-party period of the Republic of Turkey The single-party period of the Republic of Turkey began with the formal establishment of the country in 1923. The Republican People's Party (CHP) was the only party between 1923 and 1945, when the National Development Party was established. After winning the first multiparty elections in 1946 by a landslide, the Republican People's Party lost the majority to the Democratic Party in the 1950 elections. During the single-party period, President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk repeatedly requested that opposition parties be established against the Republican People's Party in order to transition into multi-party democracy; in 1930,
Senate of the Republic (Turkey) election every two years (). The first election (for all 150 members) was held on 15 October 1961. The seats up for election were decided by casting lots for the second and third elections. The last election was held on 14 October 1979. Senate of the Republic (Turkey) Senate of the Republic () was the upper house of Turkish Parliament between 1961 and 1980. It was established with the Turkish constitution of 1961 and abolished with the 1982 constitution, although it did not exist after 12 September 1980 as a result of the 1980 coup d'état. Although the Turkish Parliament