Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, given suffering since Tuesday evening, reappeared in public for the first time on Saturday in Istanbul, on images broadcast by television channels. The 69-year-old head of state, affected by an intestinal virus, according to those around him, spoke only by videoconference for four days, raising questions about his state of health two weeks before the presidential election. of May 14.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan started a tour of the Teknofest airshow at Istanbul’s former Ataturk airport, a show that Turkey describes as “the biggest in the world” and which allows Turkey’s military industry to display its drones and his planes. The head of state must then participate in the day at an electoral meeting in Izmir, on the west coast, according to his official program.
He is also expected in the capital Ankara on Sunday, exactly two weeks before the first round of voting, to resume his election campaign after a four-day break this week.
The health of the Turkish leader had already fueled speculation after a large intestine operation at the end of 2011, followed by further surgery the following year. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Prime Minister, had publicly denied suffering from colon cancer, explaining that the operations were aimed at removing polyps.
