Turkey's AK Party has decided to lodge objections to the results of the local election in all 39 districts of Istanbul, Hurriyet newspaper reported on Tuesday, after an opposition candidate gained a lead in the votes according to the latest results.

In Istanbul, the mayoral candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Ekrem Imamoglu, and his AKP rival, ex-prime minister Binali Yildirim, both said Imamoglu was around 25,000 votes ahead. Both parties had earlier claimed victory.

AK Party has said it will use its right to object to the results where there are voting irregularities. The deadline for appeals expires at 1200 GMT.