Erdogan replaces justice, interior ministers in surprise Cabinet reshuffle
ANKARA, Turkey — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan carried out a surprise mini Cabinet reshuffle Wednesday, replacing Turkey’s justice and interior ministers as the country debates constitutional reforms and pursues a peace initiative with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, aimed at ending a decades-long conflict.
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The Official Gazette announced the changes late Wednesday, elevating two figures from the judiciary and provincial administration to top national posts in Ankara’s security and legal apparatus.
- Istanbul chief prosecutor Akin Gurlek was named justice minister, replacing Yilmaz Tunc.
- Mustafa Ciftci, governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, was appointed interior minister, succeeding Ali Yerlikaya.
No official reason was given for the shake-up. The Official Gazette said Tunc and Yerlikaya had “requested to be relieved” of their duties.
The timing places the reshuffle at the heart of sensitive political and security deliberations. Turkey is discussing possible changes to its Constitution and has launched a peace initiative with the PKK after decades of conflict. Parliament is expected to pass reforms to support the process, adding weight to who steers the Justice and Interior ministries during negotiations and implementation.
Gurlek’s appointment is likely to draw scrutiny. As Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, he led high-profile trials involving members of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP. In recent years, dozens of officials from CHP-run municipalities have been arrested in corruption probes. Among them was Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu — widely seen as Erdogan’s chief rival — who was arrested last year.
Critics of the probes argue they are politically motivated and designed to weaken opposition-led local governments, a charge officials reject. The government maintains the judiciary acts independently and says corruption investigations are driven by evidence and the law.
Ciftci’s move to the Interior Ministry puts a seasoned provincial administrator in charge of domestic security at a time when Ankara is messaging both toughness and reconciliation—pursuing negotiations with the PKK while promising to maintain public order and combat criminality.
The reshuffle underscores Erdogan’s continued readiness to recalibrate his Cabinet as political priorities shift. With constitutional change and a fragile peace effort on the table, the new justice and interior ministers will face immediate tests of credibility and capacity—overseeing prosecutions, policing and reforms that will shape the next phase of Turkey’s political trajectory.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
