Following Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent election victory in Turkey, a former Belgian politician, Mahinur Özdemir Göktas, has been appointed to Erdogan's new cabinet.

Göktas will serve as the Minister of Family and Social Services, making her the only woman among the 18 cabinet members.

Göktas, who was born in Belgium, previously held the position of municipal councillor in Schaarbeek. In 2009, she made history as the first headscarf-wearing politician elected to the Brussels parliament, representing CDH. However, she was expelled from the party in 2015 due to her refusal to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. Subsequently, Göktas served as an independent member in both the Schaarbeek municipal council and the Brussels parliament. In 2020, she was appointed as the ambassador to Algeria by the Turkish government.

Expressing her gratitude on Twitter, Göktas thanked Erdogan for her appointment and expressed her hope that the new period would focus on the principles of a "strong family, strong Turkey" while serving the nation's goal of a prosperous Turkey.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who secured 52 percent of the vote in the second round of presidential elections, was recently sworn in as president in the Ankara parliament on June 3. However, these elections have faced criticism for being perceived as unfair due to Erdogan's control over state resources and media outlets. Photo by VOA, Wikimedia commons.