UPDATE - Opposition party candidate casts vote in Istanbul

ADDS DETAILS, REMARKS OF OPPOSITION PARTY'S MAYORAL CANDIDATE

By Ugur Aslanhan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey's opposition party mayoral candidate Ekrem Imamoglu on Sunday cast his vote in Istanbul's election re-run.

Candidate of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Imamoglu, his wife Dilek Imamoglu and son Mehmet Selim Imamoglu voted in Istanbul's Beylikduzu district.

Noting that elections are very important both for Istanbul and Turkey, Imamoglu said: "On behalf of our democracy, Istanbul and the legitimacy of all the future elections in our country, today, our people will make the best decision with the sense of law, justice and conscience."

Imamoglu is vying to run the metropolitan municipality of Turkey's most populous city after a previous vote on March 31 was annulled by the country's top election council last month. His closest contender is Binali Yildirim, a former prime minister and the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party candidate.

Millions of Turkish voters cast their votes nationwide on March 31 in local elections to choose mayors, city council members, mukhtars (neighborhood officials), and members of elder councils for the next five years.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev