Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today dismissed the ministers of justice and interior, in a surprise cabinet reshuffle.
The Official Gazette announced that Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek will be the new justice minister, replacing Yilmaz Tunç, while Mustafa Çiftçi, governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, has been appointed interior minister, replacing Ali Yerlikaya.
The reason for the dismissals was not stated, and the Official Gazette states that Tunč and Jerlikaj "requested to be relieved of their duties."
The changes come as Turkey considers possible constitutional reforms and "contacts" with the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to end the decades-long conflict. Parliament is expected to pass the reforms to support that process.
Gurlek's appointment is considered controversial, AP writes. The former prosecutor led high-profile trials against several members of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Dozens of officials from municipalities headed by CHP members have been arrested in corruption investigations, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, considered Erdogan's main rival, who was arrested last year.
Critics claim that these trials are politically motivated, while the government insists that the judiciary acts independently.
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