Formation of the Democratic Party, which became the first legal opposition party in the history of the republic. It quickly asserted itself as a vigorous challenger to the ruling Republican People's Party(RPP). The chairman of the party was Celal Bayar, who had once served as prime minister (1937–39). Other prominent members of the party were Adnan Menderes, Refik Koraltan, and Fuat Köprülü. In July elections, the young party made an impressive showing by capturing 61 seats in Parliament.
Appointment of Recep Peker as prime minister. He soon lost support within the RPP and was replaced by Hasan Saka (Sept. 10, 1947), who backed a more tolerant policy toward opposition parties.
