Global Courant 2023-04-29 20:22:39
Turkey’s president speaks after recovery at an aviation festival in Istanbul as key May 14 elections approach.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made his first public appearance in three days after a stomach infection kept him off the campaign trail ahead of key presidential and parliamentary polls on May 14.
Smiling and dressed in a red windbreaker, the 69-year-old leader walked onto the stage at an aviation festival in Istanbul and threw flowers to waving supporters.
He arrived at the event on Saturday with his closest ally, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
Both countries have fought wars using Turkish combat drones, which will feature prominently at the weekend’s aviation event.
Erdogan had kept a low profile since falling ill on live television on Tuesday night. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has said that Erdogan is suffering from gastroenteritis.
The digestive problem is easy to treat and usually clears up in a few days.
However, it has disrupted Erdogan’s attempts to seize momentum ahead of Turkey’s most important elections in about two weeks.
Erdogan looked sane as he addressed the crowd with a microphone in his hand, describing the government’s efforts to help victims of a massive earthquake in February that claimed more than 50,000 lives. But he waived his absence or the health anxiety.
Surveys say Kilicdaroglu in the lead
Erdogan’s illness came at one of the more vulnerable moments of his two decades of rule.
Most polls show that Erdogan is slightly behind the candidate of the main opposition alliance, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
His Conservative party’s control of parliament through an alliance with the ultra-nationalist group Nationalist Movement Party is also under threat.
Kilicdaroglu has formed the type of broad coalition that Erdogan has mastered for 20 years.
The opposition alliance includes some of Erdogan’s former allies, liberals, conservatives and nationalists. Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party also announced support for Kilicdaroglu, although it is not officially part of the opposition alliance.
Erdogan had appeared in five cities for his campaign over two days before falling ill on TV late at night. He tried to compensate for this by appearing at events via video link.
The president recently decided not to play music at his performances out of respect for the victims of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in southeastern Turkey.
Instead, he has focused on listing his achievements, including the construction of millions of new homes, and his drive to revive Turkey’s military might.
