President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday hosted district governor candidates at the Presidential Complex. The president, a former mayor, called upon future administrators of towns and urban districts not to succumb to arrogance and empower ties with the public.

"We cannot tolerate administrators without ties to the public, the man on the street or businesses. And you will not tolerate anything that will drive away the public from the state," he said. "All towns and districts are equally important and deserve first-class service," he added.

District governors are the highest-ranking state officials in towns and districts. They are appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the Interior Ministry and have no political affiliation, unlike elected mayors.

"We cannot tolerate those within our state system who, rather than bringing power and dignity to their positions, derive power from their seats and resort to unlawful, unethical and improper means," Erdoğan said. He noted that the "elitist mindset" in bureaucracy in the past built walls between the state and people and harmed the country.

Erdoğan noted that during periods of the military junta, "the state" viewed citizens as a threat and discriminated against them based on their outward appearances, from beards to headscarves, referring to the anti-Muslim practices his government ended.

"They tried to divide our people by labeling them as reactionary, backward, progressive or anti-secular. Millions of our citizens were marginalized and subjected to injustice simply because they wanted to live their faith freely or speak their mother tongue. Our democracy, state and people paid the price for this. Bureaucratic oligarchies that look down on citizens or see some as threats have no place in our state. The state serves its people, and public servants are the people’s servants," he said.