Turkish TV channels were forced on Tuesday to stop broadcasting live during an interview with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as he felt weak, with the process resumed after 10 minutes.  

The Turkish Public Broadcaster said  Erdoğan was giving a live interview to the journalists of TV channels Ulke TV and Kanal 7 as part of his election campaign. 

After resuming the session, Erdoğan answered a few questions. Before that, he apologized and said  he had been working hard for the past two days and had contracted viral gastroenteritis.

Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in Turkey on May 14 in which the opposition Republican Alliance leader, a 74-year-old Kemal Kilicdaroglu, will be Erdoğan’s main competitor. 

Erdogan has been the president of Turkey since August 2014. Before that he had  served as the prime minister since 2003.