Turkey's electoral board says votes in eight Istanbul districts to be recounted

Skyscrapers are seen in the business and financial district of Levent, which comprises of leading banks' and companies' headquarters, in Istanbul, Turkey, March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's High Election Board (YSK) will recount local election votes in eight districts of Istanbul after objections, YSK head Sadi Guven said on Wednesday, after President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party (AKP) appealed results across the city.

The main opposition, which had earned a narrow victory over the AKP according to initial results, had appealed the recount, prompting the YSK to halt them late on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Guven said that the recount would mostly focus on invalid votes, adding that this was not an unprecedented decision. Appeals to the YSK were still ongoing, he said.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Dominic Evans)