Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended his party's move to demand a full recount of votes cast in mayoral elections in Istanbul, claiming that "almost all" of the voting was marred by irregularities.
"We have determined that certain (irregular) acts were carried out," the Associated Press cited the Turkish leader as saying.
Erdogan suffered a major setback in last week's local elections after the opposition took control of the capital, Ankara, and won a tight race for Istanbul.
The opposition, which now has a 14,000-vote lead, is demanding that the ruling party concede victory in Istanbul.
A recount of votes that were previously deemed invalid, demanded by Erdogan's ruling party, is taking place in several districts, but the party now wants a recount of all of the ballots.
