The World - News from March 27, 1989

Scattered early returns in elections for thousands of local offices nationwide showed losses for Turkey’s governing Motherland Party and gains for the leftist and conservative opposition. “The trend for early returns shows that we are no longer the first party,” said Oltan Sungurlu, deputy chairman of the the Motherland Party. The election did not directly affect the government of Prime Minister Turgut Ozal, but opponents said the voting was a referendum on his policies. Ozal has said he may quit if voters favor the opposition. Two people were killed and 35 injured in violence at polling places in eastern Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported.