Istanbul, Turkey – Voters in Turkey are heading to polls on Sunday to elect mayors, members of city and district councils and village heads, or mukhtars.

The local elections are seen as a test for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan‘s Justice and Development Party (AK Party), coming at a tough time for the country’s economy in the wake of a major currency crisis last year.

More than 57 million voters are eligible to cast ballots, with unofficial results expected to be announced late on Sunday and on the following day.

The race is expected to be particularly intense in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and economic centre, and the capital, Ankara.