Results of Turkey's municipal elections announced

Turkiye's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is ahead of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in municipal elections after 99% of the ballots have been processed.

The CHP currently has 37.71% of the votes and is ahead of the AKP, which has 35.53%.

Turnout was around 74.88%, according to the Turkish Central Election Commission.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged the electoral setback in a speech delivered from the balcony of the presidential palace, saying his party had suffered “a loss of altitude” across Turkey. The people delivered a “message” that his party will “analyse” by engaging in “courageous” self-criticism, he said.

On March 31, local government elections were held in Türkiye. Voting lasted from 8:00 to 17:00 local time.