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A Turkish provincial governor has been dismissed from his post after photographs of him cycling in form-fitting athletic tights went viral on social media and triggered a heated debate on the floor of the national parliament.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree published Friday in the Official Gazette removing Mehmet Fatih Cicekli as governor of Ardahan province. He was replaced by Omer Hilmi Yamli, previously the district governor of Gaziantep's Sehitkamil district.
The trouble began when images of Cicekli riding a bicycle in tight athletic wear, flanked by four bodyguards, spread across social media and drew widespread mockery and criticism. The episode quickly escalated into a formal political dispute when main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmaker Inan Akgun Alp brought a photograph of the governor to the floor of the Grand National Assembly.
Alp, who represents Kars province, addressed the Interior Minister directly from the podium. "Either remove these governors or send them a fig leaf," he said, adding that such conduct was unbecoming of a public official.
He later posted a video to social media under the heading "TikTok governors have emerged," accusing officials of mingling with the public in athletic tights for online engagement.
The governor's wardrobe choice proved a combustible subject on the assembly floor. Lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) pushed back sharply against Alp's remarks, and a deputy speaker was forced to intervene and call members to order as the session descended into a shouting match.
Cicekli, speaking to Turkish media after the decree was published, was unapologetic. "I am a sailing, rowing and cycling athlete," he said. "What I was wearing is sports attire. I do sports in sports clothing."
He acknowledged the decision without protest, saying it was "at the discretion of my superiors," before signing off with a defiant note: "I will keep pedaling."
Provincial governors in Türkiye are appointed by the central government and serve at the president's discretion.
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