Breaking News... Chair crisis at the Ministry of Justice handover ceremony: Akın Gürlek takes over from Yılmaz Tunç

With a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette last night (February 10), high-level changes were made in 2 ministries. Erzurum Governor Mustafa Çiftçi was appointed to replace Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya, and Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek was appointed to replace Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç.

Following the Ministry of Interior, a handover ceremony was also held at the Ministry of Justice.

HEIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHAIRS CREATES A CRISIS

The fact that the chairs occupied by the new Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek and the outgoing Yılmaz Tunç were not at the same level caught the attention of their advisors. Because Gürlek's chair was much lower, the advisors attempted to intervene in the situation by raising his seat.

Despite all efforts, Gürlek's chair could not be raised to the level of Tunç's chair. The intense efforts of the advisors regarding the chair height became a trending topic on social media.

Advisors intervened after the chairs of Tunç and Gürlek were not at the same level during the handover ceremony.

However, Gürlek's chair could not be raised to the level of Tunç's chair. https://t.co/JrL1IxREgh pic.twitter.com/JGNHEAQtre

— Etkili Haber Yeni Sayfa (@etkilihaberyeni) February 11, 2026

New Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek and Yılmaz Tunç made statements to the press.

Taking the floor after Yılmaz Tunç's long speech, Gürlek said the following:

"I would like to express my gratitude to our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Under the leadership of our President, significant reforms have been implemented in the fields of law and justice in Turkey. The justice system is the common guarantee of our 85 million citizens. We will continue to accelerate judicial processes and strengthen legal security.

This is a relay race. We will also strive to carry this trust forward. We will work for a stronger state of law."