Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to respect the will of the people, after the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) suffered Defeat in Turkiye's local elections. Turkiye's local elections concluded in a "manner befitting our democracy," describing the democracy and national will as the "winner" of the polls, Erdogan said in his address to the citizens at the AK Party Headquarters in Ankara regarding the local elections on March 31. "March 31, is not an end but a turning point for us. In the local government elections, the Turkish nation again used the ballot box as an opportunity to convey its messages to the politicians," Erdogan said. "Regardless of the results, the winner of this election is primarily our democracy, the national will," he said. "All 85 million people, regardless of their political affiliation, won the election marathon and Turkiye was the winner before the candidates." "In the March 31 Local Administration Elections, the Turkish nation once again communi cated its messages to the politicians through the ballot box," Erdogan added. "Unfortunately, nine months after our victory in the May 28 elections, we could not get the result we wanted in the local election test," Erdogan, adding "We will correct our mistakes and redress our shortcomings." Source: Qatar News Agency