Tens of thousands of mourners, some weeping and throwing red carnations, thronged the funeral procession of former Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in Ankara on Saturday.

Ecevit, a much respected political force in Turkey for almost half a century, died on Sunday after nearly six months in a coma following a stroke. He died of circulatory and respiratory failure.

Ecevit, who served five times as Turkey's prime minister, is best known for ordering the 1974 invasion of Cyprus, which led to the division of the Mediterranean island but made him a hero at home.

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His struggle for workers' social rights also made him a popular politician for the working class for decades.

"People's Ecevit! Turkey is proud of you," thousands chanted as the military hearse carrying the 81-year-old prime minister's flag-draped casket reached the headquarters of his center-left Democratic Left Party.

Mourners carrying red Turkish flags, banners and portraits of Ecevit observed a minute of silence. Earlier in the morning, a brief religious service, attended by Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, chief of the general staff, was held at the military hospital where he died.

"We will not forget you," read a huge banner with a picture showing Ecevit kissing a dove, the symbol of his party. Party members set free white doves during the procession.

Zeki Sezer, chairman of Ecevit's party, said: "He was a man of peace. We will always love you, we will always miss you."

More than 10,000 police and paramilitary police officers closed several roads to traffic for the funeral procession and flights over the capital were canceled for security reasons. Snipers were posted on balconies and rooftops.

Political leaders and foreign dignitaries attended a state funeral at the parliament, and tens of thousands of mourners flocked to Ankara's biggest mosque, Kocatepe, for funeral prayers to be held there afterward.

The burial will take place later Saturday at the state cemetery.

Parliament on Wednesday amended a law to allow prime ministers to be buried alongside presidents at the state cemetery in the capital.

The funeral was originally planned for Wednesday, but was moved to Saturday according to the wishes of Ecevit's wife, Rahsan, so that workers across Turkey would be able to attend.