Turkey’s Erdogan cancels election rallies for health reasons

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan canceled his scheduled campaign rallies on Wednesday and Thursday for health reasons, weeks before May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections.

“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 said 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 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.