ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's top electoral authority has rejected a request by the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a full recount of votes in the Istanbul mayoral race.

Recep Ozel, a member of the Supreme Electoral Board, said early Tuesday that the electoral authority has, however, allowed a recount of 51 ballot boxes in the city. The board was still to rule on a demand for a re-run of the vote in one Istanbul district.

Erdogan's party suffered a major setback in the country's March 31 local elections. Opposition candidates won in Turkey's capital, Ankara, and squeezed out Erdogan's party in Istanbul.

The ruling party has demanded a recount, maintaining that the elections were marred by irregularities. The opposition denounced the claim as a ploy to secure a re-run.