SOUTH KOREAN ELECTIONS

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26127, 1 June 1950, Page 5

SOUTH KOREAN ELECTIONS

Decisive Victory Not Expected EARLY RETURNS ANALYSED (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) SEOUL. May 31 Early .returns in the South Korean elections show that no powerful party will emerge from the National Assembly elections. Independents have won 37 of the 59 seats so far decided. The Democratic Nationalists who favour limiting the President’s power and. instead, strengthening that of the Prime Minister, have won only nine seats so far. Nine persons were reported killed in clashes during the elections today. Police reports said that the Communist guerrillas killed six civilians. Three Communists were killed. The polling was relatively peaceful contrasted wi'h the bitter clashes which occurred in the election in 1943 when 44 were killed. In spite of the North Korean “nerve war” threats to attack along the Thirty-eighth Parallel (the boundary line) on election clay, there have been no clashes between the opposin’ forces. About 90 per cent, of the 8.300 000 South Koreans eligible to vote went to the polls. The President. Dr. Syniman Rhee, deoreertod the arrest on the eve / the election of candidates suspected of receiving North Korean financial assistance. Dr. Rhee instructed the police to complete their investigations after the elections and not *o molest any candidates.