Erdogan's party

Turkey's main opposition party retained its control over key cities and made huge gains elsewhere in Sunday's local elections, in a major upset to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had set his sights on retaking control of those urban areas.

Erdogan's party falls from 44% to 37%, in second place after 22 years - The "Sultan" will need alliances with the conservative nationalist and Islamic sectors and may be driven to an aggressive foreign policy

On Sunday, millions of voters in Turkey head to the polls to elect mayors and administrators in local elections which will gauge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's popularity as his ruling party tries to win back key cities it lost five years ago.

Türkiye's parliament is unlikely to hold a full vote on Sweden's bid to join NATO before mid-January, parliamentary sources have told AFP.

Sweden's accession to the U.S.-led Western alliance was approved by the foreign affairs committee on Dec. 26, bringing an end in sight to a 19-month standoff.

There will likely be a second round of presidential elections in Turkey. Neither of the two candidates - Recep Erdogan and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu - do not collect the 50% required for victory.

The results show that the incumbent president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won 49.39 percent of the votes, and his main rival, Kemal Kılıdaroğlu, won 45 percent, Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkey headed for a runoff vote after President Tayyip Erdogan led over his opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Sunday's election but fell short of an outright majority to extend his 20-year rule of the NATO-member country.

The Finnish president on March 23 formally sealed the Nordic country's historic bid to join NATO by signing into law the required national legal amendments needed for membership in the Western military alliance.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's appointment of university rectors.

Erdoğan is appointing anybody who is loyal to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to the universities, the CHP leader said.

İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener has called on the government to take necessary steps against the interception of the Turkish merchant ship by an EU mission in the eastern Mediterranean.