AK Party candidate for mayor in Istanbul, Binali Yildirim, speaks outside of the party headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Former Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will again be the ruling AK Party’s candidate in next month’s re-run of the Istanbul mayoral election, President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Tuesday.

Yildirim narrowly lost the March 31 Istanbul election to the main opposition candidate, but the High Election Board ruled on Monday to annul the vote over various irregularities and called a fresh contest for June 23.