Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed a decisive win for his party in local elections.

Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) secured nearly 47% of the vote, while the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) polled 28%.

Following his victory, Erdogan has warned that his rivals will "pay the price" for trying to bring about his downfall.

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Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters with members of his family in Ankara Reuters
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Supporters of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan turn on their mobile phones as they celebrate his election victory in front of the party headquarters in Ankara Reuters
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Gursel Tekin (C), main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy chairman, watches election results on TV with party members at the CHP headquarters in Ankara Reuters
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Supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) celebrate the results of local elections in Istanbul AFP
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Supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) attend a pre-election rally in Istanbul AFP
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Supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) wave flags during a rally at Kadikoy in Istanbul before the elections AFP

The results were a big boost for the prime minister following a tumultuous corruption scandal.

Last week Turkey suspended access to Twitter, which has been a conduit for links to recordings suggesting corruption by Erdogan's government. Then access to YouTube was blocked following the leak of an audio recording of a top security meeting at which officials allegedly discussed a military intervention in neighbouring Syria.

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An anti-government protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask gestures behind a burning barricade in Ankara during a demonstration sparked by the death of a teenager fatally wounded in protests in Istanbul last summer Reuters
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Riot police officers shield themselves as fireworks thrown by protesters explode next to a statue of a bull in Istanbul. Protesters clashed with police in cities across Turkey after the death of Berkin Elvan, a 15-year-old boy who was hit in the head by a tear-gas canister during anti-government demonstrations last summer Reuters
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Berkin Elvan's sister Ozge reacts as his coffin approaches the Okmeydani cemevi, an Alevi place of worship, in Istanbul Reuters
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Mourners carry the coffin of Berkin Elvan, a 15-year-old boy fatally wounded during anti-government demonstrations last summer, in Istanbul Reuters
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Riot police use tear gas to disperse demonstrators as they try to march to the Turkish Parliament during a protest in Ankara Reuters
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