Polling in Turkey’s municipal elections began on Sunday morning, with 57 million eligible to vote in the country's 81 provinces and closed across the country as of 5 p.m. and first results started to come into newsrooms around 6 p.m. as vote counting began. Voter turnout was announced to have stood at 83.34 percent.
According to Anadolu Agency, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party is leading in local elections Sunday with 16 metropolitan municipalities and 24 cities claimed by AK Party candidates.
AK Party gets 45.11 percent of overall votes as main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) gets 30.26 percent of overall votes with 10 metropolitan municipalities and 10 city municipalities.
In Istanbul, AK Party's candidate Binali Yildirim is leading with 48.95 percent and in the capital Ankara, CHP candidate Mansur Yavas is ahead with 50.33 percent, according to unofficial results.
MNA