Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced he would be cancelling planned campaign events to focus on recovering his health after a health scare. 

Rumours about Erdogan’s health have swirled since Tuesday, when during an interview Erdogan suddenly fell ill off camera and returned 20 minutes later claiming he had a “stomach flu”. 

Turkish officials were quick to deny rumours that Erdogan was hospitalised and had suffered a heart attack or stroke. 

Erdogan is currently in a tight race for re-election, with recent polling putting him several points behind his challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

Erdogan has dominated Turkish politics since 2003. His opponents have accused him of pushing Turkey in a more Islamist and authoritarian direction. 


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