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Support swells for Turkish governor sacked after going viral for ‘unacceptable’ cycling lycra

A Turkish governor who was sacked after he wore “unacceptable” Lycra tights whilst cycling has received a wave of support online.

Mehmet Fatih Çiçekli, the governor of Turkey's Ardahan province, was removed from his post on 17 July by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with no reason given.

It came after several politicians slammed Mr Çiçekli for “spending all day creating social media content”, after videos of him cycling went viral.

“Such governors should be removed from office – or at least issued a fig leaf,” said İnan Akgün Alp, MP for the Republican People’s Party.

Just a day after his dismissal, an online petition was launched calling for his reinstatement. It has since gathered over 10,000 signatures.