Turkish President Defers His Agenda Due to Health Problems

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled his schedule after suffering a brief health breakdown during a television interview the day before.

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"I will rest at home today following the advice of our doctors. God willing, we will continue our events tomorrow," he tweeted.

The 69-year-old leader thus apologized for the cancellation of official acts in three provinces of central Anatolia where he had planned to meet with the population amid the political campaign for the general elections on May 14.

"The health of the head of state and government is good," Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said a short time later.

The tweet reads: "President Erdogan started to faint during a live interview. Ulke TV was interrupted with the words 'OMG! Advertisement!' After about 20 minutes, the broadcast resumed and Erdogan apologized to spectators for waiting".

Erdogan's main rival in the upcoming elections is the Social Democrat Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, who immediately posted a tweet wishing the Turkish president a speedy recovery.

Once the television interview resumed, the Turkish president said he had suffered a stomach problem due to a cold.

"Naturally, we face these kinds of problems from time to time in the midst of such a tight schedule," he said, thanking the well-wishes of those who had issued messages.

This conservative leader who has ruled Turkey since 2002 faces his toughest race. So far, most polls predict a victory for Kiliçdaroglu, who is the candidate of an alliance of six opposition parties.