Is Erdogan too ill for a third term?

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These scenes come at the worst possible time. Barely three weeks before the elections, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (69) had to interrupt a live TV interview on Tuesday for health reasons. The broadcaster had to spontaneously enter the commercial break. Erdogan looked very ill afterwards and the conversation ended soon after.

An American branch of the Chinese TV channel CGTN even claimed that Erdogan had suffered a heart attack. However, this was officially denied. The fact that he has also been suspended on Thursday should be seen by many as a sign that Erdogan is not doing well.

Gastrointestinal system, cancer, blood sugar problems

Rumors of the ruler’s poor health have been circulating for years. In 2011, Erdogan underwent bowel surgery, but denied reports of cancer. In 2017, he passed out during morning prayers at a mosque, explaining what he explained as temporary blood sugar problems.

In the summer of 2021, Erdogan even fell asleep during a video message to his supporters. A few months earlier, he had to lean on his wife Emine Erdogan, 68, and a bodyguard as he walked down a flight of stairs.

In response to this, Erdogan’s press office posted a video on Twitter two years ago in which Erdogan played basketball to fresh, cheerful music and even scored a few baskets. You can see his age though.

The discussion about Erdogan’s health is reminiscent of the assumptions about Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin (70). However, the suspected health problems of the Russian president are always denied, but the contrary is rarely proven.

Is he too ill for a third term?

Now is the election campaign. Erdogan has attended one event after another in recent weeks. Constantly on the go, tight schedules – that’s a stress test, even for perfectly healthy people.

As early as 2021, the Middle East expert Stephen Cook of the CFR think tank suspected in the influential American magazine “Foreign Policy”: Erdogan might not be able to run again in the 2023 elections. Cook advised Western governments to adapt to this development. However, so far Erdogan has not announced that he will withdraw.

For the first time since taking office in 2003, the Turkish president must fear that he will be voted out. His opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu (74), has a real chance of winning the elections in May, according to polls. In a survey by the Saros Institute on March 21, Kilicdaroglu received 45.5 percent and Erdogan 44.3 percent approval from the people. Other opinion research institutes also see Kilicdaroglu as one to two percent ahead of Erdogan.

Source: Blick