Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has cancelled several campaign events over the past two days after falling ill on live television, fuelling concerns about the Turkish president’s health less than three weeks before a tightly contested national election.
Turkey’s government was forced to respond to rumours on social media that the president had suffered a heart attack, saying they represented “baseless claims”. His Justice and Development party said the speculation amounted to “immoral false news”.
Erdoğan, 69, backed out of a handful of campaign events and planned TV appearances that had been scheduled for Thursday and Friday, although he is expected to appear on Thursday at a widely publicised opening of a nuclear plant in southern Turkey via video link rather than in person.
The cancellations come after a TV broadcast on Tuesday evening featuring Erdoğan was interrupted midway through, with the president coming back on air to say that, after a gruelling campaign schedule, he had been struck with a “serious stomach cold”.
Concerns have swirled about Erdogan’s health since 2011 when he had polyps removed from his intestines. He has previously denied rumours in local media that he has cancer.
Erdoğan cancelled a planned opening of a new high-speed rail line on Wednesday, along with a handful of scheduled TV interviews. He was expected to appear in person at the opening of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Turkey’s first such facility, on Thursday, but he is instead expected to attend through a video call.
The inauguration of the plant, which is being built by Russia, is a significant part of Erdoğan’s campaign for re-election on May 14. Russian president Vladimir Putin was expected to join Erdoğan via video link.
The concerns over Erdogan’s health come during his toughest election battle after 20 years in power. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who is representing an opposition alliance of six parties, is leading Erdoğan in the polls in what is a very tight presidential race.
While Erdoğan remains one of Turkey’s most popular politicians, some voters that previously backed him have grown frustrated with the country’s ailing economy and an erosion of freedoms in recent years.
Erdoğan has had a busy travel schedule in recent weeks, making speeches throughout the country. He has recently opened a new naval ship, a Black Sea natural gas facility and a new financial district in Istanbul as he tries to secure votes.
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