TURKEY: Democratic Split

With no major organized opposition, the Democratic Party of Turkey's President Celal Bayar and Premier Adnan Menderes expected no difficulties at last week's municipal elections. The opposition Republicans, founded by the late great Kemal Ataturk, had boycotted the elections in advance, declaring: "We are attacked on radio, but not allowed to defend ourselves on radio. To answer accusations in the press constitutes an offense under the press law." But just to be sure of victory, Democrats in at least one district searched voters for anti-government literature, and had many bundled off to police stations for questioning.

Nevertheless, a surprising number of candidates running as independents managed without any machine support to get elected. They won 23% of the 11,768 town-and city-council seats at stake. After the election, one Democratic Deputy in the national Parliament quit the party, protesting that it "no longer has any concept of freedom and democracy." He teamed up with 19 other former Democratic Party M.P.s who last month rebelled against the leadership and quit the party. The rebels met in Ankara and formed a new party, the Freedom Party. Their platform: the 1950 Democratic program which the Democrats have failed to carry out.