Turkish riot police Tuesday deployed water cannon against protesters who claimed vote-rigging in weekend local polls in which the Islamic-rooted party of Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared sweeping victories.

Turkish riot police Tuesday deployed water cannon against protesters who claimed vote-rigging in weekend local polls in which the Islamic-rooted party of Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared sweeping victories.

About 2,000 supporters of the main secular opposition party had massed outside the elections authority in the capital Ankara, chanting "Thief Tayyip!" and "Ankara, don't sleep. Stand up for your vote!"

Police then unleashed water jets to disperse the vocal and passionate crowd -- recalling the street clashes that started last June in Istanbul's Gezi Park and kicked off months of political turmoil in the country.

The top spokesman for Erdogan's party condemned the rally, saying on TV: "You cannot claim a victory that the people have not given to you by massing crowds in front of the election board.

"Everyone has a natural right to object but no-one can achieve anything by mobilising the crowds through social media and provoking them," added Huseyin Celik of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).

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

Turkey's two biggest cities, Istanbul and Ankara, were the top prizes in the elections, in which Erdogan's AKP declared sweeping wins, despite recent graft claims against the premier's inner circle and an Internet clampdown.