After falling ill during a live broadcast on Tuesday evening (April 25), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration has provided several updates regarding the president’s health following two days of cancelled events. Saying that the president had suffered from a common cold, the updates from Erdoğan’s communication office sought to quiet rumors that he had suffered from a more serious medical condition following the spread of rumors online.
During a live program Tuesday evening with Kanal 7 and Ülke TV, the broadcast was paused after Erdoğan appeared to be suffering from discomfort on live air. The host of the program requested that the broadcast cut to commercials while glancing uncomfortably at the president. After the program did not resume, it was then reported that Erdoğan had suffered from stomach discomfort due to the intensity of his current election campaign schedule. The following day (April 26) the president cancelled all of his events, taking to social media to thank those who had sent their well wishes.
The president had planned to attend the opening ceremony of the Akkuyu Nuclear power plant today (27 April), but it was later announced that due to his illness, Erdoğan would attend the event digitally. The start of the event was also delayed by 2.5 hours from 13:30 to 16:00. A phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin also proceeded as planned today, with Erdoğan’s communication office publishing photos of the talk.
Erdoğan allies assuage concerns over president’s health
Various members of the president’s administration have offered their assurances over the past two days that Erdoğan’s health condition is not serious. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca made the following comments on the topic at a speech in Konya:
“I know that we are closely following the President’s health. I was with him this morning and he offered his greetings to all. His health situation is quite good. The effects of the infection that he experiences have diminished significantly. His normal schedule will resume as soon as possible.”
At an event in Istanbul, the president’s communications director Fahrettin Altun said: “The president is back on the job and is strong, healthy, and fit.”
Vice President Fuat Oktay, who attended the opening ceremony of a new high speed train line connecting Ankara to Sivas in Erdoğan’s stead, said the following to reporters after speaking with the president over the phone “Our president’s health is quite good. We are in constant communication. He just suffered from a light cold.”
Yoğun mesaim sebebiyle yayın esnasında geçirdiğim küçük rahatsızlıktan ötürü geçmiş olsun dileklerini ileten, dualarını eksik etmeyen necip milletimin her bir ferdine, her bir kardeşime çok çok teşekkür ediyorum.…
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) April 26, 2023
“I would like to thank each and every member of my noble nation, each of my brothers and sisters, who conveyed their wishes and prayers for the minor inconvenience I had during the broadcast due to my busy schedule.
Today I will rest on the advice of my doctors. Unfortunately, I will not be able to meet with my brothers from Kırıkkale, Yozgat and Sivas today. I ask all of them for their forgiveness.
Vice President Fuat Oktay will participate in Kırıkkale, Yozgat and Sivas programs on my behalf.
Medyascope'u destekle. Medyascope'a abone ol.
Medyascope’u senin desteğin ayakta tutuyor. Hiçbir patronun, siyasi çıkarın güdümünde değiliz; hangi haberi yapacağımıza biz karar veriyoruz. Tıklanma uğruna değil, kamu yararına çalışıyoruz. Bağımsız gazeteciliğin sürmesi, sitenin açık kalması ve herkesin doğru bilgiye erişebilmesi senin desteğinle mümkün.
God willing, we will resume our schedule from tomorrow on. We will continue to work to bring our beloved nation to the goals of the Century of Türkiye.
I wish all my fellow citizens well.”
Rumors swirl following cancellation of live broadcast
After the abrupt cutting of the live broadcast on Tuesday evening in which the president was suffering from visible discomfort, rumors swirled online that the president had experienced a major health problem. Addressing such concerns, the ‘Center Against Disinformation’ (Dezenformasyonla Mücadele Merkezi) published a social media post denying the veracity of such rumors:
“The allegations that the president was brought to the hospital after suffering a heart attack are untrue.”
Addressing the rumors, communications director Fahrettin Altun released his own statement saying:
“We categorically reject such baseless claims regarding President Erdoğan’s health…No amount of disinformation can dispute the fact that the Turkish people stand with their leader and @RTErdogan and his AK Party are set to win the May 14 elections.”
Writtern/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
