The Ottoman Empire was a bicameral system, with a lower house, the popularly elected Chamber of Deputies, and an upper house, the Senate, whose members were appointed by the Sultan..Collectively, both chambers were known as the General Assembly.After the 31 March Incident in 1909, the constitution was amended to delegate the popularly elected lower house: …

The Ottoman Empire developed over the years as a despotism with the Sultan as the supreme ruler of a centralized government that had an effective control of its provinces, officials and inhabitants.Wealth and rank could be inherited but were just as often earned. Positions were perceived as titles, such as viziers and aghas. Military service was a key to many problems.