There was no shortage of unexpected incidents following the intense debates in Turkey’s Parliament over the leadership change at the Justice Ministry, part of the cabinet reshuffle announced by Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During the handover ceremony, another episode occurred, this time for an… unexpected reason. The new minister, Akin Gürlek, sat in a chair that sank lower than expected, resulting in him appearing shorter than outgoing minister Yilmaz Tunç on television.
Despite attempts by ministry staff to correct the situation, even after Gürlek himself pointed it out, the problem was not resolved, with the new minister’s annoyance clearly visible.
Yılmaz Tunç bakanlık görevini Akın Gürlek’e devretti: Törende alçak koltuk krizi yaşandıhttps://t.co/Zt49mttyzU pic.twitter.com/o31lEcIX14
— Evrensel Gazetesi (@evrenselgzt) February 11, 2026
Gürlek didn’t show his annoyance during his speech – “I would like to express my gratitude to Erdogan for entrusting me with the Justice Ministry”
Despite the incident, Gürlek attempted to appear unaffected in his speech: “First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for entrusting me with such an honorable duty as the Justice Ministry. In this century of Turkey, we will continue reforms with determination, in accordance with our vision of a strong state and a strong judicial system. We will maintain our uncompromising stance in the fight against crime. We will continue to accelerate judicial procedures, strengthen digital infrastructure, and enhance legal security. This is a relay race. We will strive to carry this trust even further. We will work with members of the judiciary, the academic community, bar associations, civil society, and our people to work toward a stronger rule of law.”
“I come from the judicial system. As you know, I served as a judge and prosecutor for nearly 20 years. I closely follow the problems of our fellow judges and prosecutors. God willing, I will do my best to solve these problems as well,” concluded the new Justice minister, who until recently served as chief prosecutor in Istanbul and had handled, among other cases, prosecutions against Ekrem Imamoglu.
