A prominent Turkish provincial governor’s passion for cycling has unexpectedly landed him at the center of a fierce national political debate, resulting in his dismissal by presidential decree and spurring a widespread public campaign demanding his reinstatement.
Mehmet Fatih Cicekli, who had served as governor of the remote eastern province of Ardahan since his January appointment by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was removed from his post on July 17 via an official presidential order signed by Erdogan. No formal justification was publicly released alongside the dismissal, but the decision followed sharp criticism from several Turkish politicians over Cicekli’s choice to wear form-fitting cycling tights during a public sports promotion event, followed by his posting of photos from the outing to his social media accounts.
Inan Akgun Alp, a lawmaker from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), opened the parliamentary criticism, claiming Cicekli prioritized social media engagement over his official governance duties and arguing that the tight athletic wear was inappropriate for a sitting provincial governor. Speaking during a recent parliamentary debate, Alp told attendees, “He goes around in tights, spends all day cycling, with bodyguards in front of him, cycling in tights until the evening. A governor cannot wander around the city center like this,” according to reporting from Turkish independent outlet T-24.
Samil Tayyar, a former lawmaker from Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which draws its ideological roots from Turkey’s Islamic political movement, echoed the criticism, saying the attire clashed with deeply held local cultural norms, particularly in Ardahan, a strongly conservative and traditional region bordering Armenia and Georgia. Tayyar noted that other Turkish politicians opt for loose sweatpants when cycling, and emphasized on the social platform X that public officials face different standards than private citizens.
“People can wear whatever they want in their private lives, but a governor cannot visit the public in tights while on duty; it does not align with the seriousness of the state. In a traditional social setting like Ardahan, it is completely unacceptable,” Tayyar wrote.
Cicekli has pushed back firmly against the criticism, framing his cycling attire as standard professional sportswear for the activity. A lifelong athlete who participates in sailing and rowing in addition to cycling, Cicekli told T-24, “(We will) keep pedaling. I am an athlete who practices sailing, rowing and cycling. The clothes I’m wearing are sportswear.”
In the wake of his dismissal, public support for Cicekli has surged rapidly. A grassroots online petition calling for his reinstatement has already collected more than 10,000 signatures from supporters across Turkey, who highlight the governor’s popular work in Ardahan to expand access to sports, develop youth programming, and grow bicycle tourism as a new economic driver for the province, opposition-aligned Halk TV reported.
During an emotional farewell gathering with supporters in Ardahan earlier this week, Cicekli expressed gratitude for the public backing he has received. “I believe that I have not let down those who vouched for me and stood by me throughout my journey until now. I believe that this is the greatest honor of all,” he said. As he departed the province, a large group of local cyclists rode alongside his vehicle to the provincial border as a visible show of solidarity, Halk TV added.
The dismissal has also drawn international attention from European lawmakers monitoring Turkey’s political progress. Nacho Sánchez Amor, a Spanish Member of the European Parliament who serves as the EU’s rapporteur on Turkey, publicly voiced support for Cicekli, arguing that the criticism from Alp and AKP figures advances what he called the ruling party’s “Islamist conservative agenda” at the expense of personal choice.