Azerbaijan President congratulates Erdogan for vote win

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU (AA) - Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev congratulated his Turkish counterpart on Sunday on his party's victory in Turkey's municipal elections.

Aliyev told Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the phone that the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party’s victory was a sign of the Turkish people's support for Erdogan and his policies, said Azerbaijani presidential sources.

Erdogan thanked Aliyev for his sincere wishes during the conversation in which the two leaders emphasized that the friendship and fraternal relations between Baku and Ankara would continue to strengthen.

A total of 12 political parties participated in the March 31 local elections in Turkey.

Turkish local polls are held every five years along with metropolitan, provincial and district mayors, voters will also elect municipal council members in cities and -- in rural areas -- muhtars and members of elder councils.

The last local elections were held in March 30, 2014, which saw the AK Party clinch more than 45.5 percent of the vote.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar