Turkey VP quashes Erdogan's 'serious illness' rumours, says president in good health

Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay stated on Wednesday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in "very good" health, despite having a mild cold, and that they are in regular communication. "The condition of our president is very good. We are in regular contact. He has a slight cold," the vice president said during the grand opening of a train service.

On Wednesday, Erdogan declared that he would be canceling a day of election campaigning and resting at home following a brief interruption during a live television interview the previous day. During the interview, which was being broadcasted by Ulke TV and Kanal 7 stations in Turkey, the programme came to an unexpected halt.

When it resumed around 20 minutes later, the 69-year-old Erdogan revealed that he had been experiencing a severe "stomach flu" while campaigning and apologised for the interruption.

On Wednesday, the President had planned to campaign in the cities of Kirikkale, Yozgat, and Sivas, but he canceled these appearances due to his doctors' advice. On Twitter, Erdogan shared that he would rest at home instead and that Vice President Fuat Oktay would attend these events on his behalf.

Later that day, Erkan Kandemir, a deputy chairman of the ruling party, revealed that Erdogan had also cancelled a rally in Mersin scheduled for Thursday. However, the president would still participate in a ceremony celebrating the launch of Turkey's first nuclear power plant through a video conference.

No serious illness, claims Ankara

On Wednesday, the agency responsible for countering misinformation under Turkish President Erdogan's Directorate of Communications refuted rumors that the president had a heart attack and was admitted to the hospital. According to a post on its Twitter page, the agency stated that these claims were false.

Furthermore, Turkish officials have dismissed online rumors regarding Erdogan's health, stating that these claims are untrue and that the president is recovering from a stomach flu at home. They have denied any reports suggesting that Erdogan had been hospitalised due to a severe illness.

“We categorically reject such baseless claims regarding President (Erdogan’s) health,” his communications director, Fahrettin Altun tweeted.

Omer Celik, another senior ruling party member wrote: “our president remains on top of his duties. After a short rest, he will continue with his program.”

As Erdogan is running for a third term in office as President, he has been vigorously campaigning for the upcoming May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections. He has often participated in three or more events per day to gather support. However, he faces a formidable electoral challenge, with the leader of the center-left opposition party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, slightly ahead of him in some opinion polls.

In 2011, Erdogan had undergone surgery for his digestive system, which his doctors described as successful.