Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is facing the toughest election of his 20-year rule, cut short a live TV interview Tuesday night after suffering from an upset stomach.
Erdoğan was being interviewed on Turkish TV when the program was interrupted for about 20 minutes, after the president suddenly felt ill off-camera, according to the BBC.
He later came back to the screen, explaining he had suffered from a “serious stomach cold” and had considered canceling the interview — which started one-and-a-half hours late — after doing “intense campaign work” on Monday and Tuesday.
“Naturally, we are facing such issues from time to time amid such a busy schedule,” Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan, 69, has been in power since 2003 and is set for a tough reelection battle in the general election on May 14.
