Turkish President appoints new ministers for justice and interior
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the appointment of Istanbul Prosecutor General Akin Gürlek as justice minister, while the interior portfolio previously held by Ali Yerlikaya will be handed over to Mustafa Çiftçi, the governor of Erzurum, according to a decision published early Wednesday in the Official Gazette.
The motives for the cabinet reshuffle, which will also include the appointment of a new interior minister, aren’t yet clear.
The official newspaper noted the resignation of the two ministers who had been holding the portfolios.
As the prosecutor general of Türkiye’s largest city, Gürlek issued an arrest warrant for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in March last year, a move that sparked the worst popular unrest and was widely seen as politically motivated.
The arrest came just days before İmamoğlu, who is seen as the only one capable of defeating Erdogan, announced his candidacy for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the 2028 presidential election.
Gürlek also previously served as deputy justice minister and is accused by his opponents of targeting Erdogan’s opponents.
Since his appointment as Istanbul’s chief prosecutor in October 2024, more than 15 CHP mayors have been arrested on corruption charges, most of which he denies.
Gürlek also ordered investigations into hundreds of party members on charges of taking bribes, involvement in terrorist acts and insulting the president.
