A Turkish journalist’s claim that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is “mentally disconnected” and no longer in control of key state affairs has drawn a sharp rebuttal from the government, which dismissed the remarks as “baseless claims,” according to a report by the Velev news website on Monday.
The Center for Combating Disinformation (DMM), a unit under the Presidential Communications Directorate, said in a Monday statement on X that comments made by journalist Levent Gültekin in a video released on YouTube targeted the president with unfounded allegations and insults.
Bir YouTube kanalında Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımızın sağlık durumuna ilişkin asılsız iddialarda bulunulmuştur. Söz konusu yayında kullanılan ifadeler, asılsız iddialar içerdiği gibi Cumhurbaşkanlığı makamını hedef almakta ve hakaret içermektedir.
Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımız, Türkiye… pic.twitter.com/aSvwv0p7AS
— Dezenformasyonla Mücadele Merkezi (@dmmiletisim) June 9, 2025
Gültekin, citing what he described as private remarks from someone who had recently met with the president, claimed Erdoğan was unable to follow conversations or assert control over political developments. “He’s mentally disconnected,” the journalist said.
In the same video, Gültekin questioned whether Erdoğan was still actively governing the country, pointing instead to what he described as an “oligarchic structure” allegedly engineered behind the scenes by his far-right ally Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). As examples, he cited the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government’s recent push for a new constitution and an expanding crackdown on opposition mayors.
Erdoğan recently appointed a 10-member legal team to begin drafting a new constitution, reviving long-standing calls to replace the 1982 charter created under military rule. While the president describes the move as a step toward a more democratic framework, opposition figures have voiced suspicion that it may be aimed at securing him another presidential term.
Under the current constitution, Erdoğan, who was first elected in 2014 and then re-elected in 2018 and 2023, would be ineligible to run again unless parliament either amends the constitution or calls early elections. The ruling AKP lacks the parliamentary supermajority needed for unilateral reform, making opposition support crucial.
Meanwhile, authorities have stepped up a crackdown on opposition mayors since the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) sweeping victory in the 2024 local elections. At least 11 mayors from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), including İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, have been suspended or jailed on corruption and terrorism-related charges. The arrests, denounced by rights groups as politically motivated, have sparked protests and renewed concerns about democratic backsliding.
Gültekin’s allegations have not been substantiated, and no independent medical assessment has been made public by the presidency.