The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) maintained its lead in northwestern Bursa and central Konya provinces, while the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) got a hold of southern Antalya province in Turkey's March 31 municipal elections.

In Bursa, AK Party's candidate Alinur Aktaş obtained 49.6 percent of the vote, while CHP's candidate Mustafa Bozbey received 46.95 percent.

In central Konya province, the ruling party's candidate Uğur Ibrahim Altay received a whopping 70.69 percent of the vote while the Nation Alliance's Oğuz Şimşek from the IYI Party received 20.05 percent.

In the southern Antalya province, CHP's Muhittin Böcek defeated AK Party's Menderes Türel with 50.63 percent of the votes while the latter received 46.27 percent.

Over 43 million voters headed to the polls to cast their ballots in elections, in which the AK Party is leading with 16 metropolitan municipalities and 24 cities. Citizens voted to elected mayors, district mayors, city council members and mukhtars (local/village headmen) and members of elder councils for the next five years.