Shortly after midnight on Monday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan carried out a mini cabinet reshuffle in Turkey, replacing two ministers.

As published in Turkey’s Official Gazette, bearing Erdogan’s signature one minute past midnight, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc were replaced.

The new Interior Minister is the governor of Erzurum, Mustafa Ciftci, while the position of Justice Minister was assigned to Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akin Gurlek, who has led prosecutions against the leader of the Turkish opposition, Ekrem Imamoglu.

The new Justice Minister Akin Gurlek (left) and the new Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci (right)

In a post on X, the outgoing Interior Minister — who had been scheduled to participate in today’s Greece–Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council — Ali Yerlikaya wrote:

“With the approval and appreciation of our President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, I hand over my duties as Minister of Interior, which I assumed on June 4, 2023, to my esteemed brother Mustafa Ciftci. I congratulate him and wish him every success in his new position. May God bless him. I express my gratitude to our President for his great support during my tenure as minister. I sincerely thank every member of the Interior Ministry family who works tirelessly for the peace and security of our country. May God protect you.”

For his part, the outgoing Justice Minister, Yilmaz Tunc, stated:

“Standing by our President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and dedicating ourselves to our cause has always been a source of pride for us. In our blessed journey that began in 2001, after serving as founding provincial chairman of the AK Party, Member of Parliament, Chairman of the TBMM Justice Committee, and Deputy Chairman of the AK Party parliamentary group, my appointment as Minister of Justice by our President on June 4, 2023, further increased our responsibility to serve our nation and state. During our 23 years in government under the leadership of our President, we have had the honor of supporting the reforms implemented to achieve a high level of democracy in our country and to strengthen the rule of law. From now on, we will continue to work with the same enthusiasm as on the first day for our country and our nation, for the Turkish Century. I wish Akin Gurlek, who was appointed Minister of Justice with the approval of our President, every success in his duties.”