Turkey's Erdogan cancels election rallies for health reasons

ANKARA, April 26 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan canceled his scheduled campaign rallies on Wednesday and Thursday for health reasons, weeks before May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections.

"Today, I will rest at home with the advice of my doctors," Erdogan wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday.

Later, AK Party deputy chair Erkan Kandemir said Erdogan would attend a ceremony at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in the southern Mersin province via videolink on Thursday.

"Our Mersin rally is also planned to be held on a future date," he posted on Twitter.

Late on Tuesday, Erdogan cut short a live TV interview during which he said he felt sick with an upset stomach.

The elections represent the biggest electoral challenge for modern Turkey's longest-serving leader, after a cost-of-living crisis eroded Erdogan's support. Opinion polls show Erdogan could lose after two decades in power.

Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Jonathan Spicer

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