Brawl erupts in Turkish parliament as two parties throw punches over justice minister’s appointment

A scuffle broke out in Turkey’s parliament on Wednesday as lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition clashed over the appointment of a controversial figure to the Justice Ministry during a Cabinet reshuffle.

Opposition legislators attempted to block Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek, appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to lead the Justice Ministry, from taking the oath of office in parliament.

As tensions rose, lawmakers were seen pushing one another, and some threw punches. During his time as Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, Gurlek oversaw high-profile cases against members of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), proceedings the opposition has long criticized as politically motivated.

Gurlek later took the oath surrounded by ruling party lawmakers. Erdogan also appointed Mustafa Ciftci, governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, as interior minister.

Hundreds of officials from CHP-run municipalities have been arrested in corruption investigations. Among them was Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely viewed as Erdogan’s chief political rival, who was arrested last year. The government maintains that the judiciary operates independently.

No official reason was provided for Wednesday’s reshuffle, though the Official Gazette reported that the outgoing ministers had “requested to be relieved” of their duties.

The appointments come as Turkey debates potential constitutional reforms and pursues a peace initiative with the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) aimed at ending a decades-long conflict. Parliament is expected to pass reforms to support the process.