'Undignified!' Turkish Governor sacked for 'spending all day sharing images of himself in lycra bike gear'
•A Turkish governor has been sacked after he shared videos and images of himself wearing lycra cycling gear on social media.Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli was dismissed as the governor of Ardahan province last w...
•Mr Çiçekli was replaced in his role by Ömer Hilmi Yamlı.Mr Çiçekli had drawn significant criticism from fellow politicians in recent weeks, branding him as “spending all day creating social media cont...
•That simply won't do.
هذا الخبر من GB News. خبر يقدم أدوات ذكاء اصطناعي للتلخيص والترجمة والاستماع.
المصدر: GB News | Source: GB NewsA Turkish governor has been sacked after he shared videos and images of himself wearing lycra cycling gear on social media.
Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli was dismissed as the governor of Ardahan province last week without reason following a decree signed by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Mr Çiçekli was replaced in his role by Ömer Hilmi Yamlı.
Mr Çiçekli had drawn significant criticism from fellow politicians in recent weeks, branding him as “spending all day creating social media content” in recent months and “wearing cycling tights all day.”
TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour Sayİnan Akgün Alp, MP for the Republican People's Party, said: “A governor in leggings? That simply won't do. Such governors should be removed from office – or at least issued a fig leaf.”
He went on to accuse Mr Çiçekli of “abandoning the seriousness and dignity of state office.”
Şamil Tayyar, deputy for the Justice and Development Party, accused Mr Çiçekli of undermining his political status by regularly appearing in cycling wear.
He said: “Neither citizens nor his own civil servants will take a governor in leggings seriously.
“He has no authority.”
Ministers spoke out after images circulated on social media of Mr Çiçekli wearing black cycling tights and a red fitted top as he rode his bike.
Mr Çiçekli worked in civil administration since 2004 and was appointed to the role of governor of Ardahan in January, which he held until his dismissal.
A petition has been launched demanding that he be reinstated.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- Wildfire near Madrid sparks mass evacuations as inferno rages out of control
- Politician convicted under 'hate speech' law appeals to ECHR
- Tourists evacuated from British holiday hotspot as wildfires engulf area
The petition reads: “The decision to remove Ardahan Governor Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli from his post has caused sadness and concern among many citizens who care about the future of our province.”
It added that it “has no political aims.”
It went on to say that Mr Çiçekli had “accomplished significant work” in sports and youth development, stating: “Sports activities for young people have increased, and young people's habits of participating in sports have been developed.”
Over 10,000 people have already signed the petition.
Mr Çiçekli defended his clothing choices, saying: “The clothes I'm wearing are sports clothes.
“Actually, sometimes you need to forget. Rather than living through titles and labels, it's good to know you're a human being and remain one.
“The things that make you yourself, such as sports, cycling and rowing, aren't bad things. They're things that everyone, at every age, should be doing.”
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
ملاحظة تحريرية | Editorial Note: نُشر هذا المقال في الأصل بواسطة GB News. خبر (Khabr) هي منصة إعلامية أردنية مرخّصة تعمل بالذكاء الاصطناعي. نضيف قيمة تحريرية من خلال: تحليل ذكي للأخبار، ملخصات تلقائية، رواية صوتية بالذكاء الاصطناعي، ترجمة متعددة اللغات، وتدقيق الحقائق. هدفنا جعل الأخبار أكثر وضوحاً وسهولةً للقارئ العربي.
This article was originally published by GB News. Khabr is a licensed Jordanian AI-powered news platform (Registration #82086). We add editorial value through: AI-powered news analysis, automated summaries, AI audio narration, multi-language translation (Arabic, English, French, Turkish), and AI fact-checking. Our mission is to make news more accessible and understandable for Arabic-speaking audiences worldwide.
