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.

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. In the second stage the secondary electors elected the members of the Chamber of Deputies.

Results

The Committee of Union and Progress, the main driving force behind the revolution, could count on the support of about 60 deputies, gaining the upper hand against the Liberal Union. 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.