Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had to interrupt his live TV interview on Tuesday. As the camera pointed to the interviewer, a slurred noise and a male voice could be heard in the background: “Eyvah… eyvah…” Something like: Oh my god. Shortly thereafter, the station went into a commercial break. Erdoğan returned afterwards and continued the interview, but looked extremely ill. On Wednesday morning he canceled his planned campaign events. The fact that he is now also suspended on Thursday should be seen by many in Turkey as a sign that the president is seriously ill.
Elections will be held in Turkey on May 14, with Erdoğan running for a third term. For years there have been rumors about the health of the man who has ruled the country since 2003. To date, however, the public has not heard anything about it. The President’s condition remains a state secret.
Erdoğan’s health problems hit him in the middle of the election campaign. And in one that is more difficult for the 69-year-old than ever before. For the first time he really has to fear being voted out. All the more he had thrown himself into the election campaign and started to travel around the country. So far nobody knows whether it was the performances that affected his health.
In the past few weeks, Turkey has been preparing itself more and more for a change of power. At the same time, many voters are still undecided, the race between President Erdoğan and his challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is tight. The last few days before the election will be all the more crucial, and the incumbent will not want to miss them.
For now, the country is waiting for a message from Ankara: How is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan?