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A former district chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP) stabbed a member of Türkiye's parliament in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, provincial governor Kemal Ceber said, adding that the lawmaker's condition was stable following surgery.
The perpetrator, identified as S.A.K. and a former chairman of the CHP's Oğuzeli district branch, attacked New Party deputy Melih Meric in the city's Akkent neighborhood, in the central Sahinbey district, according to Ceber, who spoke to the state-run Anadolu Agency. Meric was rushed to Gaziantep City Hospital, where he was taken into surgery.
"We are following the matter closely," Ceber said. "I hope we will see our deputy among us again soon."
According to Ceber, the attack took place after Meric, who had briefly dismissed his close protection detail for the afternoon, engaged in conversation with the perpetrator, who approached him on the street. The exchange turned into an argument before the perpetrator stabbed him, the governor said.
Security cameras in the area captured the incident, showing tension between Meric and the perpetrator escalating into a physical altercation, according to the reporting.
Authorities said the perpetrator fled the scene and was being sought by police. Ceber said investigators knew the area to which he had escaped and expected to apprehend him shortly, noting he had 27 prior criminal records.
Speaking to reporters outside the hospital after receiving an update from provincial health director Beytullah Sahin, Ceber said the lawmaker's surgery had just concluded. "Our deputy's condition is good, thank God. The surgery was completed a short while ago," he said, adding that Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci and Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu had followed the situation closely.
Ceber said the motive for the confrontation remained unclear and would be examined once the perpetrator was in custody. "Whatever the subject, the result should not be a stabbing, an injury," he said, adding that Meric faced no life-threatening risk.
Ahmet Ulasan, chief physician at Gaziantep City Hospital, said Meric's condition was stable. "A significant part of the surgery has been completed. There was a bowel injury, which has been repaired," Ulasan said, adding that the medical team was carrying out final checks before closing the incision.
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Justice Minister Akin Gurlek condemned the assault in a statement on social media, calling it a "vile attack" and saying the Gaziantep Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had immediately opened a criminal investigation. "We oppose violence of every kind, regardless of its source or justification," Gurlek said.
New Party leader Ozgur Ozel also denounced the attack, describing Meric as a valued colleague and saying he was pleased to learn the surgery had gone well and that Meric's condition was good. "We do not accept, under any circumstances, the shadow of violence, threats and intimidation falling over politics, and we expect those responsible to be punished without delay," Ozel said.
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