Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine greet supporters in Ankara, Turkey April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s comments regarding electoral results in Istanbul did not contradict the victory declaration of his AK Party’s (AKP) candidate earlier, the president’s communications director said on Sunday.

AKP candidate and former prime minister Binali Yildirim had declared victory in Istanbul earlier, in a move his opposition rival called “manipulation.” In a later speech, Erdogan said his party may have lost Istanbul in the polls.

“Our president did not have any remarks on Istanbul that contradicted Mr Binali Yildirim’s statement,” Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter shortly after Erdogan’s speech.