Erdogan cancels public rallies for health reasons

“Today, I will rest at home with the advice of my doctors,” Erdogan wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday.

Later, AK Party deputy chair Erkan Kandemir stated that Erdogan would attend a ceremony at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the southern Mersin province via videolink on Thursday.

“Our Mersin rally is also planned to be held on a future date,” he posted on Twitter.

Late on Tuesday, Erdogan cut short a live TV interview during which he said he felt sick with an upset stomach.

The agency for combating misinformation, established under President Erdogan’s Directorate of Communications, has denied that he had suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized.

The agency wrote on its Twitter page that the allegations about President Erdogan’s heart attack and hospitalization were untrue. The post added that the president would attend the first ceremony for nuclear fuel loading at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which would take place on Thursday via live video link.

Additionally, Turkish vice president Fuat Oktay stated that Erdogan is in a “very good” condition.

“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.

The elections represent the biggest electoral challenge for modern Turkey’s longest-serving leader, after a cost-of-living crisis eroded Erdogan’s support. Opinion polls show Erdogan could lose after two decades in power.