A general fight took place in the Turkish Parliament this Wednesday (11), in Ankara, when deputies from the government base and the opposition came into physical confrontation and exchanged punches during the session that would formalize the inauguration of the new Minister of Justice appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The confusion occurred at a time when parliamentarians were trying to prevent the swearing in of Akın Gürlek, former chief prosecutor of Istanbul, appointed to head the department after a ministerial reform.
According to the agency Associated Press (AP)deputies from the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), occupied the tribune to block the ceremony, claiming that the nomination is controversial. Parliamentarians from the ruling party reacted, and images recorded pushing and exchanging punches inside the plenary.
According to APGürlek led high-profile trials against CHP members while serving as chief prosecutor in Istanbul. The opposition maintains that these processes were politically motivated – an accusation that the government denies, stating that the Judiciary “acts independently”.
According to the agency’s report, even after the riot, Gürlek took the oath surrounded by deputies from the allied base. In the same package of changes, Erdogan appointed Mustafa Çiftçi, then governor of Erzurum province, to the Interior Ministry.
