09.11.2026 15:12
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned the new district governors at the 111th Term District Governors’ Draw Ceremony. “In my eyes, a district governor has no working hours. There is no night or day. There is no holiday or weekend at all,” Erdoğan said. Emphasizing that civil administration is not a profession that can be fit between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Erdoğan said, “You will not cast a shadow over the trust placed in you. Otherwise, it means you have chosen the wrong profession for yourself career-wise.”
President Erdoğan attended the 111th Term District Governors Lottery Ceremony held at the Presidential Complex. A total of 96 district governor candidates, 16 of whom are women, who completed the 42-month training process, learned their places of duty at the ceremony.
“I CONGRATULATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU”
Erdoğan said, “I congratulate each and every one of our 96 district governor candidates, 16 of whom are women, who have completed the 42-month training process. I thank your families who raised you, your teachers who opened the way before you with their knowledge and experience, and your professional elders.”
Erdoğan said, “I ask God’s mercy for all our martyrs and for our civil administrative officers who sacrificed their lives for their duty, especially our martyred district governor Muhammed Fatih Safitürk. May the Lord grant us and you the ability to properly carry their trust and legacy.”
“WE HAVE A DEEPLY ROOTED STATE TRADITION”
Erdoğan said, “We are one of the nations with the world’s most deeply rooted state tradition, with a history of more than 2,000 years. Our history, extending from Orkhon to Anatolia, from the Seljuks to the Ottomans, from the National Struggle to our Republic, is at the same time a history of great organization and state-building.”
Erdoğan said, “Amid all this change, the basic qualities our nation expects from an administrator have largely remained the same. An administrator’s inspiring confidence, not permitting injustice, ensuring justice, protecting what is entrusted, and standing by citizens in difficult times are at the forefront of these.”
“I DID NOT SIT BY DAY, I DID NOT SLEEP AT NIGHT”
Erdoğan said, “Here I remind first myself, and then all our civil administrative officers together with you, of Bilge Khagan’s following sentence that transcends the ages: ‘For the Turkish nation I did not sit by day, I did not sleep at night.’ In this saying, uttered about 1,300 years ago, the administrator’s responsibility toward his nation comes first. There is an understanding of administration that places the existence, unity, and prosperity of its nation before its own comfort. Our expectation from you is that you perform and carry out your duty with such a high level of consciousness.”
“JUSTICE IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE STATE”
Erdoğan said, “The title you will carry contains two great concepts. What are they? Dominion and administration. Justice is the foundation of the state. This maxim is an indispensable compass showing on what ground the state will rise and what its founding value is. Accordingly, the state’s power gains prestige through justice. Authority is ensured through adherence to law. Sovereignty finds meaning only to the extent that it protects the nation.”
“THE STATE IS THE TREATMENT ONE RECEIVES AT THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE’S DOOR”
Erdoğan said, “Administration, however, is the fulfillment of this great responsibility within life itself. That is, bringing opportunities together with needs, ensuring harmony among institutions, and making the right decision at the right time while personally following up on its results. Civil administration makes our state’s power, means, and capabilities, as well as its hand of compassion, visible in the daily lives of our people. In the eyes of our citizens, the state is not merely buildings and titles in Ankara. In the eyes of our people, the state is the treatment they receive at the door of the government house.”
Erdoğan said, “It is the will, effort, dignity, and sincerity embodied in the person of the district governor and the provincial governor. Therefore, the more successful our district governors and provincial governors, who are responsible for all affairs within district and provincial boundaries, are in their activities, the more prestige our state will gain in the eyes of our citizens.”
“THE SERVICES OF MINISTRIES WILL NOT HAVE A CORRESPONDING EFFECT IN THE FIELD”
Erdoğan said, “Otherwise, neither the struggle we wage for the peace and well-being of our people nor the services and projects produced by our ministries will have sufficient corresponding effect in the field. Therefore, wherever you serve, your personal labor, skill, and effort have an impact far beyond the office you represent.”
“IT IS NOT A PROFESSION WHERE ONE CLOSES UP SHOP AND GOES HOME”
Erdoğan said, “I state the following to all the district governors and provincial governors I am hosting here. Civil administrative office is definitely not a profession to be squeezed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and then to close up shop and go home. A district governor or provincial governor is a person who cares, works, and labors for 24 hours a day for the province and district they are in charge of. I want you to work with this sensitivity in the districts where you are stationed.”
“A DISTRICT GOVERNOR HAS NO WORKING HOURS”
Erdoğan said, “Look, I am speaking very clearly. In my eyes, a district governor has no working hours. There is no night or day. There is no holiday or weekend at all. Since you have chosen civil administrative office as your profession, since you have shouldered a heavy burden, the responsibility of representing the state and the President, since you have put on the shirt of fire to carry the responsibility of the nation, then you will do justice to it and will not cast a shadow over what is entrusted to you. Otherwise, it means you have chosen the wrong profession for your career.”
Erdoğan said, “I wholeheartedly believe that each and every one of my brothers and sisters present in this hall will represent me in the most beautiful, most successful, and best possible way as the head of the State of the Republic of Turkey.”
“THERE ARE PEOPLE WAITING FOR YOU IN THOSE DISTRICTS”
Erdoğan said, “My dear young brothers and sisters, in the lottery you are about to draw, each of you will come across the name of a district. Please do not forget this. There are people waiting for you in those districts. There are families who live by their labor, young people who dream, children who await attention, and perhaps our elders living alone.”
Erdoğan said, “In each of those districts, there are our farmers and producers who work the soil with the sweat of their brow, paying no heed to the winter frost or the summer sun. In each of those districts, there are our tradespeople and merchants who pursue lawful sustenance from the early hours of the morning until the middle of the night. In each of those districts, there are our industrialists and businesspeople who work heart and soul to support Turkey’s development drive.”
“DO NOT GET STUCK IN GOVERNMENT HOUSES”
Erdoğan said, “Always keep in mind that you will become part of those people’s lives when you go to your place of duty. Instead of getting stuck in government houses, visit villages and tour coffeehouses. Never sever your connection with the street, the marketplace, and the bazaar.”
“THE DOOR OF THE STATE IS THE DOOR OF NEED”
Erdoğan said, “Remember, the door of the state is the door of need. It is the door of necessity. It is the door of remedy. Listen to the troubles of the citizen who comes to your door to the very end. Of course, you may not be able to meet every request. You may not be able to solve every problem. In that case, explain the reason in a tone that your interlocutor will understand. Show them the ways to a solution. Do not condemn our people to uncertainty. In particular, do not neglect our brothers and sisters with disabilities, the relatives of martyrs and veterans, and those who have no one to turn to other than Almighty God and the state.”
“IF YOU SUCCUMB TO ARROGANCE, THE PEOPLE WILL HAVE A CLAIM ON YOU”
Recalling Abdurrahim Karakoç’s lines, Erdoğan said, “I expect you to always keep in mind these two verses of the late Abdurrahim Karakoç, our elder brother: ‘Let no dust settle on you, beware; the people will have a claim on you.’ Yes, if you neglect your work, become arrogant, make yourself unattainable, and build a wall between you and our brothers and sisters living in your district, remember that the people will have a rightful claim on you. If you seek only the benefits of the district governorship profession rather than its burdens, in the same way the people will have a rightful claim on you,” he said.
“ASK YOURSELF EVERY EVENING”
Erdoğan said, “Even when your daily shift is over, let your conscience keep doing its accounting. Every evening, ask yourself: whose work did you make easier today, which issue did you bring to a solution, what did you do for your city and district? This inner accounting will keep you alive and dynamic throughout your professional life.”
“FAVORITISM CANNOT ENTER PUBLIC SERVICE”
Erdoğan said, “You will never let go of justice in the face of our citizens’ ethnic origin, faith, way of life, or political preference, and whoever is before you, you will respect everyone’s rights and law. Enmity does not enter public service, favoritism does not enter. An understanding that sacrifices one person’s rights to another person’s influence cannot enter,” he said.
“THERE IS SWEAT IN EVERY PENNY YOU SPEND”
Erdoğan said, “In the public budget there is the farmer’s sweat, the worker’s labor, and the tradesman’s earnings. It is important that you feel the responsibility of this labor in every penny you spend. Remember, the most effective advice is a person’s own behavior. If you live with moderation, the standard of moderation will strengthen in your institution as well,” he said.
Erdoğan said, “If there is work within your authority, resolve it without referring it to someone else. As for matters beyond your authority, carry them to the relevant authority together with your proposed solution. Remember! Continuity is essential in the state. Completing a good project that began before you is as valuable as starting a new project,” he said.
“OPENING THE WAY FOR A CHILD IS SERVICE TO THE WHOLE COUNTRY”
Erdoğan said, “The issue of education is at the very top of our priorities. Keep education at the center of your duty and try to support our teachers’ efforts. Remember that recognizing a child’s ability and opening the way for them can, years later, turn into a service from which the whole country will benefit,” he said.
WARNING ABOUT “EXHIBITIONISM” ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Erdoğan said, “In the age of social media, unfortunately privacy is at the top of the values most worn down. While making the services performed visible, we sometimes witness that this principle is violated and neglected. Falling into the trap of exhibitionism in the name of communication does the greatest harm to the service itself. In our culture, goodness gains value only to the extent that human dignity is protected. I want to emphasize that I expect maximum sensitivity from you on this matter,” he said.
“WE HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS, DRUG TRAFFICKERS, OR STREET GANGS”
Erdoğan said, “Whether they are terrorist organizations, drug traffickers, or street gangs that target the peace of our people, we have no tolerance for any structure. It is our duty to eradicate them within the framework of law,” he said.
Erdoğan said, “The foundation of our Terror-Free Turkey project, which we carry out as a state project, is that our people live in security, our brotherhood grows stronger, and faith in our common future grows. God willing, with your efforts too, we will remove this problem from the agenda—a problem that has cost Turkey 40 years and 2.3 trillion dollars in economic resources,” he said.
At the end of his speech, once again congratulating the 111th Term district governors, Erdoğan said, “May God not separate you from right and justice. May He grant you a professional life in which you carry the nation’s trust with honor, make your family’s face smile, and leave behind works that will be remembered with goodness,” he said.
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