A sweeping Interior Ministry decree published on September 11 replaced police chiefs in 37 provinces and reassigned 22 others to central posts, triggering rare public pushback from senior figures in the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a key partner in Turkey’s governing coalition. The Official Gazette notice bears President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s signature
Among the most talked-about moves: Special Operations Department head Süleyman Karadeniz—who drew headlines last year after kissing MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli’s hand—was shifted to head the Muğla Provincial Police.
Another notable appointment put Chief Police Inspector Arzum Nazman in charge of Adıyaman Police; Nazman had played a visible role in the investigation into the 2022 killing of former Grey Wolves chairman Sinan Ateş.
MHP signals displeasure
MHP Deputy Chair İsmail Özdemir posted a pointed message on X, writing that the state needs “a will that stands by our HEROES and does not create vulnerabilities,” a comment widely read as a jab at Interior Minister
In a column titled “Traces of a New Parallel Structure,” Bahçeli’s press adviser and Türkgün chief columnist Yıldıray Çiçek warned that elements “working on behalf of other countries or linked to terrorist organizations” could be infiltrating sensitive state posts, urging loyalty to “national security cadres.”
Claims of rifts and reprisals
Journalist Tolga Şardan reported that former Interior Minister and current AKP Istanbul MP Süleyman Soylu contacted Bahçeli after the decree, conveying the view that “heroes were removed from their posts.” Şardan added that some of the sidelined or relocated officials first rose during Soylu’s tenure, and alleged that Yerlikaya later posted an oblique “kifayetsiz muhteris” (“incompetent vainglorious”) barb on social media. (Neither Soylu nor Yerlikaya has publicly addressed the claim.)
Separate commentary from OdaTV’s Hürrem Elmasçı asserted that “nationalist” police chiefs are being purged and that Karadeniz did not want the Muğla post—claims the Interior Ministry has not responded to.
What’s next
Reporters and analysts note that attention is now turning to an expected governors’ decree, which could deepen tensions if similar personnel shifts follow. Journalist Alican Uludağ suggested the forthcoming list “could also cause a crisis.”
