SGK President who said 'We used to die at 50' removed from office: Appointments in the Official Gazette

Many changes in positions were made in today's issue of the Official Gazette. According to the decision published with the signature of AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan, the appointments are as follows:

Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK); Yakup Asarkaya was appointed as Second President, Olcay Turan as a member, and Social Security Institution President Raci Kaya as a member.

DISMISSAL DECISIONS

High-level public officials from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Social Security Institution were removed from their posts:

Ministry Head of Guidance and Inspection Bekir Aktürk

Ministry General Manager of Occupational Health and Safety İbrahim Esenkar

Social Security Institution Vice President İsmail Ertüzün

CHANGES IN MINISTRIES

Ministry of Labor and Social Security;

Harun Aydoğmuş and Cem Gökmen Gökçe were appointed as Deputy General Managers of International Labor,

Selim Dağlıoğlu as Deputy General Manager of Foreign Relations and European Union,

Salih Turgay Işık as Deputy General Manager of Legal Services,

Rıfat Koray Köprülüoğlu was appointed as Head of Guidance and Inspection at the Social Security Institution.

APPOINTMENT TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY INSTITUTION PRESIDENCY

Yunus Elitaş was appointed as President of the Social Security Institution.

Celalettin Sıvacı was appointed to the vacant Board Member position at the Social Security Institution.

Hacı Atakan Doğan was appointed to the vacant Inspector position at the Ministry of National Education.

NATIONAL EDUCATION DIRECTORATE APPOINTMENTS

Çankırı Provincial Director of National Education Muammer Öztürk was removed from his post and replaced by Ayhan Işık.

Gürhan Çokgezer was appointed to the Bursa Provincial Directorate of National Education,

Bursa Provincial Director of National Education Alireisoğlu to the Edirne Provincial Directorate of National Education,

Van Provincial Director of National Education Mehmet Nurettin Aras to the Adana Provincial Directorate of National Education,

Şırnak Provincial Director of National Education Bilal Yılmaz Çandıroğlu to the Van Provincial Directorate of National Education,

and Selehattin Kal was appointed to the Balıkesir Provincial Directorate of National Education.

THOSE REMARKS BY SGK PRESIDENT RACİ KAYA COME TO MIND

The removed SGK President Raci Kaya had become a topic of public debate with a statement he made in October 2025.

Kaya had stated that the premium payment period and retirement age in Turkey were behind EU averages. Kaya explained the reason for low pensions by saying, 'We used to die at 50. Today, we have reached an average of 78 years.'

These remarks by Kaya were met with backlash. According to the decision published tonight, Yunus Elitaş has been appointed as the SGK President in place of Kaya.