Overview
- President Erdoğan replaced Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç with Istanbul chief prosecutor Akın Gürlek and named Erzurum governor Mustafa Çiftçi to succeed Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, according to the Official Gazette.
- CHP lawmakers tried to block Gürlek’s swearing‑in, leading to shoving and punches on the chamber floor before both new ministers completed their oaths.
- Gürlek is known for launching numerous probes against CHP figures, including the detained former Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, which opposition leaders describe as being rewarded with promotion.
- As justice minister, Gürlek chairs the council that appoints judges and prosecutors and oversees key levers of the judiciary, intensifying worries about political influence over the courts.
- İmamoğlu has been in pretrial detention since March last year, with a main corruption trial due next month, and analysts warn the reshuffle could further tighten legal and policing pressure on the opposition.