Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled his election appearance on Friday for the third day in a row after what officials described as an intestinal infection.

Erdogan, who ruled Turkey for two decades as prime minister and then president, is set to seek a third term in Turkey’s May 14 election.

He had planned to appear at a bridge inauguration and political rally in the southern city of Adana, but his schedule changed to attend the inauguration via visual communication.

Erdogan canceled all his promises from Tuesday evening, including the much-anticipated event of the inauguration of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. On Thursday, the Turkish president was forced to speak via video link to mark the opening of the Akuyu station in the south of the country, and he showed signs of fatigue in his first appearance on television 48 hours earlier in a live broadcast. .

On Thursday afternoon, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced that Erdogan had gastroenteritis. He said, “He is in good condition. The effects of appendicitis are reduced. He will resume his project as soon as possible.

However, the ill health did not come in time for the country’s president, especially as 3.4 million Turks registered their names to participate in the voting process outside the country and began voting on Thursday.

Erdogan has been on the campaign trail in recent weeks, attending multiple events around the country every day.

According to the results of several opinion polls, Erdogan faces an opposition that puts him in a good position. Other officials have sought to address concerns about the 69-year-old leader’s health ahead of next month’s presidential and parliamentary elections. Recent polls show a slight lead for Erdogan’s main rival.

As for his main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was nominated by a coalition of six opposition parties, he received the tacit support of the country’s third political force, the People’s Democratic Party, which is seen as the kingmaker in the upcoming presidential vote. . Kilicdaroglu attended two election rallies in the northwest of the country on Friday. (agencies)