Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 481 Locking Down the Parliament
At this time, the government's statistics came out: a total of 471,346 people nationwide had the right to vote. This was slightly less than expected. But these very people would determine the final outcome for the 150 members of the expert panel.

The Progressive Party, the Revival Party, the Liberal Party, and the Whig Party (formed from the Liberal Democrats) will compete for these seats. The date is set for the last day of this year.

Because this is the first election in Iran, and indeed in the entire Middle East, many people want to observe what it's all about and whether their countries can follow suit. In recent days, many intellectuals from Ottoman, Egyptian, and Tunisian countries have entered Iran.

Namik Kemal returned to Tabriz, this time with a heart full of respect for Iran and a desire to learn. He was very interested in hearing that Iran was going to hold elections.

Flipping through any newspaper reveals the views of various political parties. The Progressive Party and the Revival Party prioritize economic and military development, while the Liberal Party and the Whig Party advocate for the promotion of people's rights. Besides their heated debates in the newspapers, these four parties frequently engage in lively discussions in public squares and other venues.

“Look at Namk, the Liberal Party is right. No tyranny should happen. People have rights, and no one can take them away.”

Shinawatra showed this passage to Kemal, but Kemal was looking at the Progressive Party's interpretation.

"All problems are caused by the economy. The economy cannot solve all problems, but it can solve most of them."

“Solve most of the problems…” Kemal muttered to himself. To be honest, he hadn’t paid much attention to the Ottoman economy, but thinking about it carefully, it was truly a sorry state of affairs.

Stimulated by trade, the Ottoman Empire finally developed some modern factories, including military, textile, and mining industries. However, over 85% of these factories were foreign-owned, with 32% of that being Iranian investment.

Iranian investment extends beyond factories to include railways, such as the railway from Damascus to Beirut, the Cyprus Ring Railway, and the Crete Railway. Most of the materials used in these projects are imported from Iran, effectively providing a market for the country.

As for the rest, there's not much else. Agricultural products such as tobacco, wheat, barley, raisins, figs, raw silk, mohair, hazelnuts, potato chips (those who know, know), cotton, and olive oil still account for 90% of total exports. Manufactured goods that play a significant role in exports are only hand-woven carpets and kirim carpets. Farmers' lives haven't changed at all.

Of the imports, more than half consisted of manufactured goods, primarily cotton textiles, followed by wool textiles. Most Ottomans, whether city dwellers or country dwellers, rich or poor, purchased imported cotton textiles or cotton textiles produced domestically using imported cotton thread.

Food also holds a significant place in Turkey's imports, accounting for a full third of total imports. Imported food items, including sugar, tea, and coffee, are those that cannot be produced domestically. However, the Ottoman Empire also imports large quantities of agricultural products such as wheat, flour, and rice. Wheat imported by sea from Balkan countries or Russia, and flour imported from Marseille, are cheaper in Istanbul than locally produced wheat in Anatolia.

As the Ottoman Empire gradually integrated with the global economy, the power of merchants, large landowners, and European businesses increased significantly. This increased economic openness meant a greater risk of loss of control for the central government. However, these concerns did not prevent the central government from continuing to negotiate with European countries. Because the central government was often embroiled in military, financial, and political difficulties, competing European states and businesses found opportunities to exploit the situation.

In most crises, a European country would provide political, military, and financial support to the Ottoman Empire; in exchange, that country would demand economic concessions from the Ottoman central government, such as permission to launch a large investment project within the empire. Ports like Istanbul were expanded in this way.

These were things he hadn't realized; this was the truth behind why Ottomans brought their families to work in Iran.

"Namik, do you know what I just said?"

Kemal snapped out of his reverie and apologized to Sinasi. "By the way, who do you think will win this time?"

It's not hard to predict, actually. Although there are four parties, the Progressive Party and the Freedom Party are the strongest. One is the main driving force behind Iran's modernization, and the other is the standard-bearer for pushing for the conference elections. They are both important, but the final outcome is truly unpredictable.

“I don’t know, but this is a good idea for us. If the government is united, the policies can be implemented, and in this way, the empire can get rid of poverty quickly.”

Although Kemal believed that a strong monarch was beneficial to the country, he did not see any conflict between this and parliament. Wouldn't it be better for the prime minister and parliament to correct any mistakes made by the monarch?
"That's true, but it's impossible under the current circumstances. The Sultan has issued so many orders, but no one seems to be able to implement them."

Shinawatra has completely changed his mindset; the current Ottoman sultans are all increasingly incompetent. Since the death of the wise and great Suleiman the Magnificent, they have deteriorated day by day.

Suleiman's son, Selim, the alcoholic, at least had the achievement of conquering Cyprus; Murad IV could also be considered. As for the others, they were either lecherous or cruel. Some were even mentally ill. The fact that such people could come to power only shows that there was something wrong with the imperial government.

Of course, all of this was also due to a custom the Ottomans inherited from the Roman Empire: the Praetorian Guard. Just as the Roman Praetorian Guard could depose and install emperors, so could the Ottomans; for example, Osman II was deposed and killed by the Praetorian Guard.

Although Mahmud II abolished this destabilizing factor through the Auspicious Coup, it seems to be making a comeback in recent times.

"I'm thinking now, if the Sultan and the government can't save the empire, then only one person can save it."

Kemal quickly told him to shut up, "Don't say anything."

"It's not just me, you think so too, right?"

Although it's hard to admit, it's true. The Ottoman and Egyptian monarchs were both terrible; it seems only the Iranian monarchs could change the course of history.

Moreover, this idea wasn't unique to the two of them; some Ottoman businessmen and students also shared this view. They had all witnessed a different side of Iran through their interactions with the country.

"Maybe, but that's probably impossible."

"Who knows what the future holds? We always have to look forward."

The two left the coffee shop. It was still early, so they decided to go explore other places, since they didn't know when they would be able to come back again.

(End of this chapter)