A brawl erupted in Turkey’s parliament on Wednesday after lawmakers from the ruling AK Party and the opposition clashed over the appointment of a controversial figure to the Justice Ministry in a Cabinet reshuffle.
Opposition legislators tried to block Akın Gürlek, who President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed to the top judicial portfolio, from taking the oath of office in parliament.
As tempers flared, legislators were seen pushing each other, with some throwing punches.
As Istanbul chief prosecutor, Gürlek had presided over high‑profile trials against several members of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), proceedings that the opposition has long denounced as politically motivated.
The scuffle prompted the speaker to adjourn the session for 15 minutes until order was restored.
The former prosecutor was later seen taking the oath surrounded by ruling party legislators.
Erdoğan also named Mustafa Çiftçi, governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, as interior minister.
Hundreds of officials from CHP‑run municipalities have been arrested in corruption probes.
Among them was Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely seen as Erdoğan’s chief rival, who was arrested last year.
Gürlek filed a sweeping indictment against İmamoğlu in November, accusing him of 142 offences tied to corruption and organised crime, and seeking a total prison sentence exceeding 2,000 years.
İmamoğlu’s supporters have claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated but the government insists the judiciary acts independently.
No official reason was given for Wednesday’s Cabinet shake‑up, though the Official Gazette said the outgoing ministers had “requested to be relieved” of their duties.
The new appointments come as Turkey is debating possible constitutional reforms and pursuing a peace initiative with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), aimed at ending a decades‑long conflict.
Parliament is widely expected to pass reforms to support the process.
Additional sources • AP
