ANKARA, Feb 11: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan carried out a surprise mini Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, replacing the justice and interior ministers.
The Official Gazette announced that Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek will serve as justice minister, replacing Yilmaz Tunc, while Mustafa Ciftci, governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, has been appointed interior Minister, succeeding Ali Yerlikaya.
No official reason was given for the shake-up, though the Official Gazette said that Tunc and Yerlikaya had “requested to be relieved” of their duties.
The changes come as Turkiye is debating possible constitutional reforms and pursuing a peace initiative with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, aimed at ending a decades-long conflict. Parliament is expected to pass reforms to support the process.
Gurlek’s appointment is considered controversial. The former prosecutor has led high-profile trials against several members of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party, or CHP.
Dozens of officials from CHP-run municipalities have been arrested in corruption probes. Among them was Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, widely seen as Erdogan’s chief rival, who was arrested last year.
Critics argue these prosecutions are politically motivated, while the government insists the judiciary acts independently. (AP)
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