Throughout Wednesday social media rumors swirled concerning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s “health scare” the evening prior.
He fell ill during a live TV broadcast, which his office later described as the result of a ‘serious stomach cold’. Erdogan’s office then canceled two days of political rallies, just ahead of the major presidential and parliamentary elections set for May 14.
President of Turkey #Erdogan seems have gotten faint or ill during the live broadcast, the interview with Ülke TV was interrupted with the words “oh my god “
🔽 pic.twitter.com/tdGHmO6wb2— Arthur Morgan (@ArthurM40330824) April 26, 2023
But by Wednesday afternoon mainly English language social media accounts were claiming he had been hospitalized by a heart attack. Some rumors went so far as to say he was “poisoned”.
Meanwhile, Turkish official sources and media were largely silent on the speculations over his health, even as unsourced reports began to surface that his family had been summoned to the hospital, suggesting the worst.
But the unfounded claims got a further boost when Chinese state English-language media amplified the rumors…
Chinese state TV is running fake news about Erdogan’s health. One wonders, why? pic.twitter.com/TTDpPz2Xj8
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) April 26, 2023
Erdogan’s office tweeted out the following to the Turkish president’s official account:
“Today, I will be resting at home on the advice of our doctors,” Erdoğan tweeted, adding his condition was a “minor inconvenience due to (his) busy work.”
But wild speculation persisted, also based on Russian media reports that President Putin had been rushed to his office at the Kremlin due to some kind of major development…
⚡️Putin rushed to the Kremlin around 10 minutes ago.
Rumour has it it’s related to Erdogan’s health; I doubt that though. pic.twitter.com/0jKd4x0xOi
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) April 26, 2023
Yet still there was no observable market reaction, or in the TRY.
But it appears that the Chinese state media tweet triggered Turkish government officials to respond, with a statement from the Turkish presidency’s office blasting the “baseless claims” regarding his health:
We categorically reject such baseless claims regarding President @RTErdogan’s health.
The President will attend tomorrow’s nuclear power plant opening via videoconference.
No amount of disinformation can dispute the fact that the Turkish people stand with their leader and… pic.twitter.com/SSr3KaWXlS
— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) April 26, 2023
Could the rumors have been started by his political opponents, in order to paint him as weak and in fragile health? Again, much of this originated from English-language social media…
This is Erdogan speaking live minutes AFTER the stomach episode on Tuesday night, explaining that he got tired by intense campaign work and got cold.
So there is no mystery pic.twitter.com/3afanqZ03z
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) April 26, 2023
Or perhaps it was just another social media wild goose chase originating with a handful of fringe sources.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 04/26/2023 – 18:20
