Erdogan Calls Turkish Municipal Elections Lesson in Democracy for Whole World

"The municipal elections have been completed… This is a lesson in democracy for the whole world, and attempts by the West to interfere in our internal affairs are unacceptable", Erdogan told journalists.

He also said that the Turkish Supreme Electoral Council had yet to complete the legal process for considering complaints or announce the final results.

"The People's Alliance [the political bloc the ruling Justice and Development Party is part of] received 53.3 percent of the vote. It won in 25 of the 39 municipalities of Istanbul. The turnout was 83 percent", the president added.

READ MORE: Erdogan Declares Ruling Party Victory in Turkish Municipal Elections

The statement comes after the ruling party appealed the preliminary results of Istanbul's mayoral election, which show that the candidate from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Ekrem Imamoglu, has won, in the Supreme Electoral Council. The council is now conducting a recount.

According to preliminary data, the ruling party won local elections in 39 provinces. In particular, its candidates won mayoral elections in Bursa, Gaziantep, Trabzon, Samsun and Kayseri. The candidates from the CHP won elections in 21 provinces, including Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya and Adana.

Turkish citizens went to the polls on 31 March to vote for new mayors, municipal leaders, heads of villages and members of village councils.