Erdogan replaces the Ministers of Justice and Interior in a cabinet reshuffle
Ankara, Turkey– Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a surprise mini-cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, replacing the justice and interior ministers.
The Official Gazette announced that Istanbul Prosecutor Akin Gurlik will assume the position of Minister of Justice, succeeding Yilmaz Tun, while Mustafa Cevtci, the governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, has been appointed Minister of the Interior, succeeding Ali Yerlikaya.
No official reason was given for the change, although the Official Gazette reported that Tung and Yerlikaya had “requested to be relieved” of their duties.
These changes come as Türkiye discusses potential constitutional reforms and seeks to launch a peace initiative with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, aimed at ending the decades-long conflict. Parliament is expected to approve reforms to support the process.
Gorlick’s appointment is controversial. The former prosecutor led high-profile prosecutions against several members of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP.
Dozens of officials in municipalities run by the Republican People’s Party have been arrested in corruption investigations. They included Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely seen as Erdogan’s main rival, who was arrested last year.
Critics say these prosecutions are politically motivated, while the government insists that the judiciary operates independently.
