Turkish President Recep Erdoğan is a strongman. Naturally when he's out and about he'll want to project an image of strength. It's part of the package.

So you can understand why, from Erdoğan's perspective, this is a really rough look for him:

The 69-year-old Erdogan, seeking to enter his third decade in power, seemed to suffer a bout of sickness during a April 25 joint broadcast on the pro-government Kanal 7 and Ulke TV stations.

Thousands of spectators who watched the interview saw Ulke TV's editor-in-chief Hasan Ozturk pause mid-question, rise from his chair in alarm and a voice off-camera exclaim "God help us" before an ad break. There were no cameras on the president as the moment unfolded, causing many Turks to speculate on social media about whether Erdogan had a heart attack or an epileptic crisis.

It's a pretty uncomfortable scene:

The president later reappeared on-screen, "grim-faced," as the Al-Monitor put it, claiming that he was suffering from a "severe stomach bug."

Maybe. Then again, he subsequently cancelled a high-profile appearance at Turkey's newest power plant, appearing instead via video feed. Again, not a good look for a guy who's cultivated a reputation as an iron fist.

Elections in Turkey, meanwhile, are in just over two weeks. Erdoğan and his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu are reportedly in a "dead heat" at 45% each.