Turkish lawmakers clashed physically in Parliament during the oath-taking ceremony for newly appointed ministers, highlighting tensions between ruling and opposition parties.
In the Turkish Parliament, a significant confrontation occurred during the oath-taking ceremony for the new Ministers of Justice and Interior, appointed earlier that day via presidential decree. The session escalated into verbal disputes and physical altercations between members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) as opposition deputies attempted to prevent the new Justice Minister from taking the oath.
According to Al Jazeera's correspondent in Ankara, the ceremony was marked by direct protests from CHP deputies, who moved to the presidential platform and refused to allow the Justice Minister, Ekrem Gurlik, to take the oath. The scene devolved into a physical fight within the parliamentary chamber, requiring intervention from AKP deputies to secure the platform and ensure that the minister could proceed with the oath.
The objections were particularly fueled by Gurlik's previous role as the public prosecutor in Istanbul, where he dealt with cases tied to significant issues concerning the CHP party. This incident underscores the increasing political divisions in Turkey, demonstrating the lengths to which opposition members will go to express their dissent regarding appointments they view as politically motivated and indicative of the ruling party's overreach.
