A brawl erupted in Turkey’s parliament on February 11 following a decision by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to appoint as justice minister the Istanbul chief prosecutor who has led the heavy crackdown on the country’s opposition.

In the legislature, lawmakers incensed by the move to elevate Akin Gurlek attempted to block his swearing-in by bunching around the speaker's podium.

MPs shouted that the appointment of Gurlek was "an attack on the rule of law".

Gurlek, 44, has carried out waves of arrests and pushed forward scores of indictments that target the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). Istanbul’s CHP mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, the chief political rival to Erdogan widely seen as capable of crushing Turkey's long-ruling leader should he allowed to fight an election, is the subject of multiple investigations. He has remained in jail since his arrest in a dawn swoop on his home in March last year.

In a 4,000-page indictment introduced last November, Gurlek demanded a prison sentence of more than 2,000 years for Imamoglu. He claimed he sat at the head of a vast corruption network, compared to an “octopus” by Erdogan. Critics of the president are convinced Gurlek’s actions have been conducted at Erdogan’s instruction and that all the charges are trumped up, some of them to the point of absurdity. The presidency, however, always insists the country's prosecutors and judiciary act independently of political influence.

TV footage of the clash in parliament showed lawmakers pushing and throwing punches. MPs of Erdogan’s ruling AKP party eventually formed a protective ring around Gurlek as he read his oath.

Gurlek has replaced Yilmaz Tunc.

An Official Gazette announcement added that Erdogan had appointed Erzurum provincial governor Mustafa Ciftci as interior minister. He has succeeded Ali Yerlikaya, who served as the Istanbul governor prior to his appointment as minister.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said Gurlek's cabinet appointment was a continuation of a "judicial coup attempt" aimed at dismantling his party.

"We will not surrender... They cannot stop our march to power,” Ozel told reporters at a memorial ceremony for a former party leader, as reported by Reuters, adding that there was no fair political competition left.

Ozel added in a statement: “Someone who was assigned as chief prosecutor in Istanbul to carry out operations against our party is now appointed justice minister. And then they say Turkey is a state governed by the rule of law.”

At a ceremony held at the justice ministry, Gurlek thanked Erdogan for his appointment. He vowed that he would continue with reforms in line with what the government dubs the “Century of Turkey.”

“We will continue to advance reforms and accelerate judicial process,” he said. “We will strive to demonstrate a stronger rule of law. The justice system is the common guarantee of our 85 million citizens.”

Legal affairs journalist Alican Uludag wrote on X that Gurlek’s move to the justice ministry dramatically expands his authority since the minister also chairs the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK). The HSK is a powerful body responsible for judicial appointments and disciplinary proceedings.

“He now has the power to replace chief prosecutors, commission heads, judges and prosecutors across the country,” Uludag said in his post, adding that control of the prison system also falls under the ministry.

Uludag also warned that the revised concentration of authority could mean operations similar to those carried out in Istanbul will be extended across the country ahead of the presidential election, scheduled for 2028, though a snap election cannot be ruled out.