Erdogan's party to demand total recount of Istanbul ballots

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party said Sunday it will demand a recount of all ballots cast in Istanbul during last week's mayoral election won by an opposition candidate.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) will make the demand by 5 pm (1400 GMT), its vice president Ali Ihsan Yavuz said. A recount is already under way in several of Istanbul's 39 districts.

On Saturday, a party spokesman said the AKP would accept the results of local election recounts in Istanbul as well as Ankara, no matter which party is declared the winner.

The AKP won most votes nationwide in last Sunday's election, but results showed the ruling party lost Ankara and was also narrowly defeated in Istanbul in what would be one of their worst setbacks in a decade and a half in power.

Electoral authorities are conducting a recount in scores of districts in Ankara and in Istanbul where tallies showed the opposition CHP candidate Ekrem Imamoglu with a very slim lead over the AKP.

Losing Istanbul would be a blow to Erdogan, who built his political career as mayor of the city before becoming prime minister and later president.