ISTANBUL, Feb 11, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has named Istanbul's chief public prosecutor as his new justice minister, Turkey's official gazette said, in a decision made public early Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the reshuffle, which will also see a new interior minister appointed. The gazette said both had resigned.

As the top prosecutor in Turkey's largest city, Akin Gurlek issued the arrest warrant for Istanbul's powerful mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in March last year, a move widely seen as politically motivated which sparked the country's worst street unrest in over a decade.

The arrest came just days before Imamoglu -- seen as the only politician capable of beating Erdogan at the ballot box -- was named as the main opposition CHP party's candidate for the 2028 presidential election.

A former deputy justice minister, Gurlek has been accused by opponents of going after Erdogan's rivals.

Since Gurlek's appointment as Istanbul's chief public prosecutor in October 2024, more than 15 CHP mayors have been arrested, most of them on corruption charges which they deny.

He has also ordered investigations into hundreds of CHP members on charges ranging from graft to terror ties and insulting the president.

Imamoglu, 54, is currently facing a string of legal cases, including one in which he is accused of questioning Gurlek's integrity.

Prosecutors have also opened an investigation into CHP leader Ozgur Ozel over allegations he threatened and insulted Gurlek.

Gurlek takes over the role from current incumbent Yilmaz Tunc, while the interior portfolio, which was held by Ali Yerlikaya, will be handed to Mustafa Ciftci, the governor of the eastern province of Erzurum.