ALBAWABA - Appointed o Sunday, the new Minister of Family and Social Services, Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas took office from the Derya Yanik in a ceremonial celebration in Turkey's capital Ankara.
Born and raised in Belgium, Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the Free University of Brussels. She became the first hijabi member of the Belgian parliament in 2009.
In 2015, she was expelled from the Humanist Democratic Centre party (CDH) for refusing to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. After that, Goktas served as an independent member till the year 2019.
She later on served as Turkey's ambassador to Algeria between the years 2020 and 2023. Throughout her career, Goktas has been known for her fight for women's rights against violence and for advocating for equal opportunities.
In the most recent Recep Tayyip Erdogan cabinet, Goktas got appointed as Minister of Family and Social Services. She has vowed to dedicate her work to the improvement of the state of women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
“We will work in harmony with all relevant parties for a just distribution of social welfare. We view a transparent approach for right-based social aid distribution with sustainability being important,” she added, Daily Sabah newspaper reported.
