ANKARA, April 4 (Xinhua) — Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Thursday warned the United States not to interfere in the country’s local elections held on Sunday.

“No foreign government or body’s statement will serve as the source of legitimacy for the election results,” said the AKP spokesman Omer Celik, condemning the earlier remarks from the U.S. State Department on Turkey’s election process.

On Tuesday, Robert Palladino, U.S. State Department spokesman, called on all parties to recognize the outcome of the Turkish elections after an initial count showed the main opposition leading in the largest city Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

“Free and fair elections are essential for any democracy. That means acceptance of legitimate election results,” Palladino said.

In response, Fahrettin Altun, Turkey’s presidential communications director, said Wednesday on his Twitter account that Turkey urges all parties, including foreign governments, “to respect the legal process and refrain from taking any steps that may be construed as meddling in Turkey’s internal affairs.”

Turkey’s election board decided on Wednesday to recount the votes in eight districts of Istanbul after the ruling party submitted appeals over the results.