Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, has been forced to pause his election campaign after experiencing a health issue during a live television interview. As the interview took an unexpected turn, the camera switched to the interviewer, Hasan Öztürk, who appeared concerned before the transmission ended.

Later, it was revealed that President Erdoğan had been diagnosed with stomach flu after a strenuous period on the campaign trail ahead of a critical election. On social media, he announced that he would rest at home upon his doctors' recommendation, with plans to resume campaigning the following day. In his absence, Vice-President Fuat Oktay will attend campaign events in central Turkey.

The upcoming Turkish parliamentary and presidential elections, scheduled for May 14, pose a significant challenge to Erdoğan, as a six-party opposition coalition aims to end his 20-year tenure. Current polls suggest that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Erdoğan's primary opponent, holds a slight advantage. Public dissatisfaction with the ongoing economic crisis and the government's handling of earthquakes, which claimed the lives of over 50,000 people in Turkey and 8,000 in Syria, contribute to this sentiment.

Due to his sudden illness, Erdoğan has had to withdraw from several major campaign events. These include the inauguration of a Russian-funded nuclear power plant in southern Turkey and an adjacent rally. The Akkuyu nuclear power plant project, backed by Erdoğan and his Justice and Development party (AKP), is aimed at winning voter support despite concerns about the connection between government-led construction projects and earthquake-related infrastructure failures.

Erkan Kandemir, the AKP deputy chair, announced that Erdoğan would participate in the nuclear power plant ceremony via video link and that the Mersin rally would be rescheduled.