Erdogan cancels appearances after developing stomach bug

Turkey: With just 17 days to go until the elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s health has caused alarm during his ambitious campaign of meetings and rallies in 40 cities ahead of Turkey’s nail-biting parliamentary and presidential polls on May 14.

The 69-year-old Erdogan, seeking to enter his decade in power, seemed to suffer a bout of sickness during a April 25 joint broadcast on the pro-government Kanal 7 and Ulke TV stations.

Thousands of spectators who watched the interview saw Ulke TV’s editor-in-chief Hasan Ozturk pause mid-question, rise from his chair in alarm and a voice off-camera exclaim “God help us” before an ad break. There were no cameras on the president as the moment unfolded, causing many Turks to speculate on social media about whether Erdogan had a heart attack or an epileptic crisis.

After 20 minutes, a grim-faced Erdogan returned to the interview, playing down the health scare as a minor discomfort caused by hectic campaigning. “It is a serious stomach bug,” he said, explaining that he had come to the late-night interview against his doctor’s advice. He thanked everyone who expressed their well-wishes and ended the interview after another 10 minutes.

Erdogan’s health has been an ongoing issue since 2006, when Erdogan, then prime minister, was rushed into a hospital unconscious, feeding rumors that he had epilepsy or diabetes or both. Following surgery on his lower intestines in 2011, some local journalists and foreign analysts claimed he had advanced colon cancer, even speculating that he had only two years to live. Again two years ago, rumors of the president’s death flared up in social media when he disappeared for three days rather than attending a climate summit in Glasgow.