A Turkish governor who was removed from office after a backlash over social media images of him cycling in sports tights has received backing from thousands of supporters calling for his reinstatement.
Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli, governor of the north-eastern Ardahan province, was dismissed last week. No reason was given for his removal.
It came after criticism of his attire and online activity, with one MP saying he was “spending all day creating social media content” and “wearing cycling tights all day”.
Çiçekli defended his outfit as standard cycling gear, saying: “I do sports in sports clothes.”
Asked what he planned to do after his dismissal, Çiçekli said: “I will keep pedalling.”
The removal of Çiçekli came after he attracted public attention by sharing videos of himself cycling on social media in recent months.
Çiçekli called on people to organise a cycling festival in Ardahan and shared footage of large groups participating in a cycling event.
Çiçekli also posted videos of himself rowing on Lake Çıldır, saying these activities demonstrated “the unifying power of sport”.
His social media activity prompted criticism from some politicians. In early July, Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP İnan Akgün Alp accused Çiçekli of spending his time making online content and of “abandoning the seriousness and dignity of state office”.
“He goes around among citizens wearing cycling tights all day. That’s no way for a governor to behave,” Alp said, calling on the government to “remove these governors or send them vine leaves”.
Çiçekli stood by his outfit choices, saying: “The clothes I’m wearing are sports clothes.”
On 17 July, a decree signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced Çiçekli’s removal from office.
The next day, an online petition was launched on Change.org under the title “Ardahan Governor Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli Should Remain in Office”. By 17:00 BST on 21 July, it had gathered more than 9,400 signatures.
“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,” the petition says, adding that it “has no political aims”.
The petition says Çiçekli has not only “accomplished significant work” in areas such as sport and youth development, but also helped cycling tourism to flourish.
“Sports activities for young people have increased, and young people’s habits of participating in sports have been developed,” it says. “We emphasise the necessity of Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli continuing in his role as Governor of Ardahan.”
Ardahan is a province with a population of less than 100,000 people.
