Turkish voters began Sunday casting votes in municipal elections, which are considered to be a barometer of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's popularity amid a sharp economic downturn in the nation that straddles Europe and Asia, AP reported. 

Over 57 million voters will cast their vote in 200,000 polling stations located across the country to elect the mayors of 30 major cities, 51 provincial capital and heads of 922 districts.

Turkish voters will also vote for the representatives of local assembles and will elect tens of thousands of rural administrations’ heads.