ELECTION IN TURKEY

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28420, 29 October 1957, Page 13

ELECTION IN TURKEY

Menderes Likely To Keep Power

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.)

ISTANBUL, October 28.

Although barely a fifth of the results in the Turkish General Election have been declared it seems clear that the governing Democratic Party has been returned to power.

Latest official results in the election, held yesterday, give the Democrats 106 and the Republicans eight seats in the new 610seat assembly.

It also seems clear, however, that the Republicans who held 31 seats in the old Assembly, have made substantial gains. An unofficial estimate published in Istanbul early today gave the Democrats 398 seats, the Republicans 204, the National Party 4 and the Freedom Party 4.

The Premier, Mr Adnam Menderes, was re-elected in the Aydin constituency. As the election results came in during the night Mr Ismet Inonu, former president, now 74 years

old. who is leading the Republican Party, alleged irregularities in the election campaign. He claimed at a press conference in Ankara that but for these a majority of votes would have been cast for his party. Government Use of Radio Mr Inonu alleged that the gov-ernment-controlled radio system was used illegally, and with the aim of influencing citizens to vote for the government, although officially an election truce was in force and all forms of propaganda or persuasion were banned. Mr Inonu maintained also that changes were made in the electors’ lists, so that many people were prevented from casting their votes. Heavy voting was reported in the election, which was to choose Turkey’s Parliament for the next four years. All was calm in Istanbul as voters went to the polls, although the Mayor of Kutlu Sanmazi. a village, in Hatay province near the Syrian border, was killed by a stone thrown by a political opponent.

Eight Turks were arrested after the incident, an official inquiry has been ordered, and military forces sent to the village.