Turkey’s secular opposition on Tuesday rejected the results of Ankara and Istanbul mayoral elections claimed as victories by the Islamic-rooted party of Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, citing "irregularities".

Turkey's secular opposition on Tuesday rejected the results of Ankara and Istanbul mayoral elections claimed as victories by the Islamic-rooted party of Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, citing "irregularities".

More than 1,000 people demonstrated outside the elections authority in the capital Ankara, where the incumbent mayor of Erdogan's ruling party has declared victory with a wafer-thin margin of about one percent.

"Thief Tayyip!" the protesters chanted, while others yelled, "Ankara, don't sleep. Stand up for your vote!"

Turkey's two biggest cities were the top prizes in Sunday's elections, in which Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) declared sweeping wins despite graft claims and earlier mass street protests.

The municipal polls were seen as a referendum on the 11-year-rule of Erdogan, who is popular for driving strong economic growth but has been accused of an increasingly authoritarian ruling style.

The race was symbolic in Ankara, the inland capital built by the secular founding father of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who established the Republican People's Party (CHP), now the main opposition party.

In the tight Ankara race, Melih Gokcek, the AKP mayor for 20 years, scored 44.79 percent against 43.77 percent for CHP candidate Mansur Yavas, according to the provisional results.

That amounts to a margin of 32,000 votes in the city of about five million people.