XT TA TC “1 Associated Press
W J B ^ 1 V Edited by Brandon Loomis
East Germans vote in first free elections , •
Pro-unification conservatives score big win
EAST BERLIN - An alliance of
conservative parties favoring quick
unification scored a big victory in
East Germany’s first free elections
Sunday, according to partial official
returns.
However, returns from 90 percent
of the polling stations indicated that
the alliance had fallen short of win
ning a majority of the scats in the new
400-mcmber Parliament.
The election capped East Ger
many’s transition to democracy cince
the fall pro-democracy revolution that
ended 40 years of iron-fisted one
party Communist rule.
The conservative alliance is backed
by West Germany’s governing party,
and the election seemed certain to
speed German unification.
West Germany’s ARD television
network, reporting the partial official
returns, said the conservative alli
ance would get 189 scats in the 400
member Parliament. East Germany’s
official news agency ADN said it was
unclear whether the conservatives
would achieve a majority, which is
needed to run the country alone.
The leftist-leaning Social Demo
crats lagged well behind in second
place, with a projected 88 scats.
East Germany’s conservative alli
ance is led by the Christian Demo
crats, sister party of Chancellor Helmut
Kohl’s Christian Democrats in West
Germany.
Commentators in both countries
agreed Kohl played a key role in
helping the conservatives win by
promising quick replacement of East
Germany’s nearly worthless currency
with the West German mark and other
financial benefits.
“It was a victory for Kohl,’’ the
ARD network said.
“I just want to celebrate,” said
Lothar dc Maizicre, head of the Alli
ance for Germany’s main Christian
Democratic Party, at his party’s head
quarters. The conservative Christian
Democrats were expected to win more
votes than any parly, which could
allow de Maizierc to become East
Germany’s first democratically elected
premier.
De Maizierc said a “grand coali
tion” with the Social Democrats and
other parties was possible to lead the
country toward unification with the
greatest possible popular support.
He said a broad coalition was needed
to muster the two-thirds parliamen
tary majority necessary to change East
Germany’s constitution and pave the
way for quick unification. With such
a majority, the East German parlia
ment could simply declare a merger
with West Germany.
Kohl, in an appearance on West
German television, also voiced sup
port for a broad coalition. His Chris
tian Democrats have backed the con
servative East German alliance.
Gregor Gysi, chairman of the re
formed Communist parly, immedi
ately offered support to the Social
Democrats to prevent the conscrva
lives from gaining a two-lhirds ma
jority of scats needed to change the
constitution.
The Communists, who lost their
40-year monopoly on power in the
fall revolution, were projected to win
no more than 15 percent of the popu
lar vote. They fared poorly in pre
election polls, despite the popularity
of Communist Premier Hans Modrow
and Gysi as well as intensive efforts
to shed their hard-line image.
In his comments, Dc Maizierc also
promised his party would strive for
quick economic, monetary and social
union with West Germany.
A roaring crowd of 2,000 support
ers jammed the conservative alliance’s
headquarters, waving party banners
and West German flags and drinking
and dancing.
“As quickly as possible, unifica
tion!” Dieter Schlodcr said. “There
is no question about it.”
Only a few weeks ago, the Social
Democrats were considered the strong
cst contenders, But tne Alliance iur
Germany got much campaign help
from Kohl. His Christian Democratic
Party is the sister party of de Maizi
ere’s.
Still, there were 24 parties or or
ganizations competing in the vote.
At stake were 400 seats in the
national parliament, which will hold
office for a four-year term. Virtually
all the parties competing favored
unification with West Germany, but
at different paces.
People lined up at polling stations
in cities as well as makeshift voting
booths in rural pubs and eateries. Some
people cast ballots from hospital beds.
‘ ‘This is the greatest day of my life
after being put down all these years,”
whispered 66-year-old Annclisa
Schoen, choking back tears of joy as
she voted in East Berlin.
Some voters seemed a bit perplexed
by the huge selection that included
such contenders as the Beer Drinker’s
Party.
Soviets hold military maneuvers, plan talks in Lithuania
MOSCOW - Soviet military jets
repeatedly streaked over the capital
of Lithuania during military maneu
vers Sunday, one day before a Moscow
deadline demanding that the Baltic
republic renounce its declaration of
independence.
At the same lime, however, Soviet
President Mikhail Gorbachev struck
a conciliatory tone, saying he still
plans to talk with the Lithuanians
about returning to the Soviet fold.
And he said there have been no ulti
matums.
“We will carry on conversations,”
Gorbachev told reporters after voting
in runoff elections.
He continued to insist that Lithu
ania’s March 11 declaration was ille
gal and must be decided by the entire
Soviet Union, not just the republic.
He said he would work for a new
federation agreement that would sat
isfy everyone.
The military maneuvers surprised
the Lithuanian government, parlia
mentary spokesman Vladslovas Pa
numis said in a telephone interview.
But military officers told Lithuanian
President Vytautas Landsbcrgis that
the training had been planned in
advance, Panumis said.
A Westerner in the Lithuaniar
capital, Vilnius, said it was unclcaj
whether there were many planes land
ing at a military base or whether i
was just one or two jets making re
peated passes over the city.
The Baltic Tribunal, an emigri
newspaper in Copenhagen, says then
arc eight military bases in Lithuania
including one near Vilnius. At least
million Soviet troops arc believed n
be stationed in Lithuania, which is 01
the Soviet Union’s front-line westen
border.
Another parliament spokesman
quoted Lithuanian Premier Kazimera
Prunskicne as saying the military
maneuvers on the border with Latvia
and in southeastern Lithuania seemed
to be ordinary, and there was no cause
for concern.
The Soviet Parliament on Thurs
day directed Gorbachev to defend
Soviet interests and citizens in the
Baltic republic of T8 million. It de
clared the Lithuanian move illegal
and the Soviet Constitution still in
force. Gorbachev on Friday sent
Landsbergis a telegram giving him
until today to respond to how the
directive is being realized. He did not
...L-i «ft_ ~ \s — i- .i a a „ : f 4 ~
nay iiui uiv, rvi^imm wuuiu uu u uiv
Lithuanians refused to respond. He
and his aides say they have ruled out
the use of force.
On Sunday, Gorbachev said the
telegram was not an ultimatum.
“I think we shall receive a reply
from the authorities of present-day
Lithuania and, depending on what it
is, everything will become clear. The
character and content of the answer
will define our next steps,” he said.
“We shall act responsibly with a
view to realizing the aspirations of
the Lithuanian people from the view
point of strengthening their independ
ence and sovereignly, but at the same
l lime, within the scope of cooperation'
■ with all republics,” he said.
Landsbcrgis and aides met Sunday
‘ to draft a response stating that Lithu
i anian law will observe the legal rights
, of the Soviet Union and protect na
I tional minorities. On Saturday,
) Landsbcrgis appealed to democratic
i nations for official recognition of his
i new government.
Latvia and Estonia hold republic elections
MOSCOW - Latvians and Esto
nians voted in their first free elec
tions in 50 years Sunday to choose
republic parliaments that activists
hope will press for independence
from the Soviet Union.
Crucial runoff elections in local
and republic races were also held
in Russia, Byelorussia and the
Ukraine, die Soviet Union’s Slavic
heartland that makes up some 80
percent of its territory and two
thirds of its population.
From Moscow to Vorkuta in
northern Russia, reformists con
fronted party and government offi
cials. A former political prisoner
faced a KGB officer in a runoff in
Moscow. No clcaion results were
expected before today.
In the two Baltic republics,
annexed by the Soviet Union in
1940, backers of independence
hoped their candidates would
emerge victorious, following the
example of nearby Lithuania.
Lithuania's parliament was taken
over by independence supporters
in elections in February and early
March. It promptly declared the
republic independent on March 11.
The Soviet Congress declared the
move illegal and Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev gave the re
public three days to respond.
The deadline expires today ,
but Gorbachev repeated his offer
to hold talks with the Lithuanians.
Latvia legalized alternative
.——- __—
political panics several months ago,
following the lead of Lithuania.
Estonia has not removed the Com
munist Party’s constitutional guar
antee on power but a variety of
political parties pul forward candi
dates without interference.
The Soviet Parliament legalized
multiple political parties for the
entire country last Tuesday, but
that was too late for strong, repub
lic-wide movements to form in the
heartland of Russia, Byelorussia
and the Ukraine.
In Latvia, average voter turnout
was 75 percent, the republic’s
Electoral Commission sakL The
pro-independence Latvian People’s
Front nominated 185 candidates
out of the total 390 competing for
/*%/\ <_« *____
uk i paj iidiuuii
flection officials said 69 per
cent of the contenders there arc
Communists, including some
People’s Front members, the offi
cial Soviet news agency Tass said.
People Front’s spokeswoman
Anda Anspoka says the front hopes
to gain a two-thirds parliamentary
majority “to fight for independ
ence.’’
Thousands of Popular Front
supporters rallied in the Latvian
capital of Riga Sunday, urging voters
to support their movement. At least
five other parties, including the
Green or environmental party,
competed in the Latvian elections,
Tass said.
Estonian journalist Michael Taro
predicted the People’s Front would
win about 35 of the 105 seats in
Estonia, with 15 or 20 more going
to other pro-indcpcndcncc groups.
In Estonia, about 63 percent of
the voters turned out by 2 p.m.,
said Annu Laido of Estonia’s Elec
toral Commission. The lowest turn
out at that point was 54 percent in
Tartu.
In the three Slavic republics,
voters chose between candidates
in some 1,610 run-offs, held after
no candidate gained 50 percent of
the vote in the main round on March
4.
* * According to data reaching us,
voter turnout today is somewhat
InujAr Marrhi c/»/ rf>larv
of Russia’s electoral commission
Anatoly Petrov told Tass. Turnout
by noon was especially low in
Western Siberia, between 26 per
cent and 27 percent.
In Moscow, officials reported a
57 percent turnout after tnc polls
closed.
“I think people want to partici
pate, because they believe that things
would change for the best, that
these arc the first democratic elec
tions. For the first time, we liave
alternative candidates” for the
republic and local councils, said
Ivan Petrov, chairman of the elec
toral committee at a polling station
in Moscow’s Kicvsky district
Run-Off Election
March 21, 1990
I 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
President & 1st Vice President
Deb Fiddelke/Brad Vasa TODAY
Phil Gosch/Stacy Mohling VISION
2nd Vice President
Shawn Burnham VISION
Yolanda Scott TODAY
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Settlement ends
baseball lockout
NEW YORK - Baseball players
and owners agreed to a new four-year
contract late Sunday night, ending
the 32-day lockout and paving the
way for the start of the season, a
source involved in the negotiations
said.
The settlement brought an end to a
bitter dispute that kept players locked
out of spring training since Feb. 15.
The key issue emerged as salary
arbitration eligibility, and it domi
nated the negotiations the last few
weeks.
Word of a settlement came about
11:30 p.m. EST after the players and
owners had spent the entire day work
ing on a formula to solve arbitration
eligibility.
There was no immediate word if
openinu day would be on April 2 as
scheduled. A news conference was
scheduled for early today.