UPDATE - Turkey marks 96th anniversary of Republic Day

UPDATE WITH MORE DETAILS FROM CELEBRATIONS

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur and Iclal Turan

ANKARA (AA) - The 96th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey is being celebrated across the country on Tuesday.

Marking the day, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in the capital Ankara. Erdogan later accepted greetings at the presidential complex in Bestepe, Ankara.

Thousands of people also poured to Anitkabir to pay respect to the founding leader Ataturk, carrying Turkish flags.

On Oct. 29, 1923, Ataturk officially declared the name of the nation and proclaimed the country's status as a republic.

A vote then took place in the Grand National Assembly, and Ataturk, a revolutionary statesman, was elected the first president of the Republic of Turkey by unanimous vote.

Since then, Turkey celebrates the Republic Day every Oct. 29.

Republic Day is being celebrated in all provinces of Turkey and the country’s representations abroad.

Government ceremony in the capital Ankara, art events and fireworks in Istanbul, concerts and torchlight processions in the Aegean Izmir province are among the symbols of Republic Day celebrations in Turkey.