Turkey’s Erdogan cancels election rallies for a day due to health reasons

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he cancelled his scheduled campaign rallies on Wednesday (April 26) due to health reasons, ahead of the landmark May 14 elections, Reuters reports.

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

Late on Tuesday (April 25), Erdogan cut short a live TV interview during which he said he felt sick due to an upset stomach.

At 69 years old, Turkey’s longest-serving leader logged more than a dozen election victories and survived an attempted coup in 2016.

After more than 20 years in power, the May vote could be Erdogan’s toughest test to date after his years of unorthodox economic policies sparked a cost-of-living crisis.