11.02.2026 10:06
İYİ Party Kocaeli Deputy Lütfü Türkkan recounted an incident he witnessed in the Parliament before the cabinet change decisions. Türkkan said, "For the first time since he became a minister, former Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya came to the lower dining hall where the deputies were having dinner around 7:00 PM. He was still a minister. I did not see any deputies next to the minister. Another noteworthy point; none of the AK Party deputies present in the restaurant at that moment got up to go to the minister."
Two critical names changed seats in the Cabinet last night. Mustafa Çiftçi, the Governor of Erzurum, was appointed as the new Minister of Interior, replacing Ali Yerlikaya, while Akın Gürlek, the Chief Public Prosecutor of Istanbul, took over from Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç. İYİ Party Kocaeli Member of Parliament Lütfü Türkkan recounted an incident he witnessed regarding Yerlikaya before he was dismissed last night. Both individuals thanked Erdoğan and wished success to the new ministers.
CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE FROM YERLİKAYA TO ÇİFTÇİ
Former Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya used the following expressions in a message he shared on social media:
"I am handing over the Ministry of Interior, which I started on June 4, 2023, with the approval and appreciation of our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to my valuable brother Mustafa Çiftçi. I congratulate him and wish him success in his new role. May God make it auspicious. I express my gratitude to Mr. President for his great support during my tenure. I sincerely thank each member of our Interior Family who works tirelessly for the peace and security of our country. May you be entrusted to God."
LÜTFÜ TÜRKKAN SHARED: I WANT TO RELATE AN INCIDENT I WITNESSED THIS EVENING...
After the critical appointments; İYİ Party Kocaeli Member of Parliament Lütfü Türkkan recounted an incident he witnessed regarding Yerlikaya before he was dismissed last night.
In a post from his X account, Türkkan stated:
"With the decision published in the Official Gazette this evening, the Ministers of Interior and Justice have changed. On this occasion, I want to share an incident I witnessed this evening. For the first time since he became a minister, former Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya came to the dining room where the members of parliament were having dinner around 7:00 PM. The staff were arranging a table for a very crowded group. They stood for a long time together with their companions. He was still a Minister. Among the members of parliament who came to the dining room, I did not see any member of parliament next to the Minister. Another noteworthy point; none of the AK Party members of parliament who were dining in the restaurant at that moment got up to go to the Minister. Either the members of parliament were aware of this change in advance, or the Minister had already lost his reputation among the AK Party members of parliament."