Taking No Chances

When Turkey's former President Ismet Inonu hit the hustings last May as leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, the Democratic government of Premier Menderes used tear gas to disperse the crowds that gathered to hear Inonu, and stood by while bands of toughs pelted the 75-year-old national hero with stones (TIME, May 11). Inonu's tour was part of a vigorous campaign by the Republicans for 21 vacant seats in the National Assembly scheduled to be filled in byelections this fall. Even if the Republicans won all 21 seats, they would not dent the Democrats' gerrymandered Assembly majority (410 to 170), but a good Republican showing might be an omen for 1961 general elections. Apparently Menderes thought so too: last week, after a bitter parliamentary debate, the Democrats used their safe majority to ram through the Assembly a measure postponing all byelections for a year.

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