It was a stunning turnabout for a measure that, just a few weeks ago, had been widely expected to pass.

Mr. Roh altered the South Korean political landscape Monday by yielding, in a stunning turnabout, to every longstanding opposition demand of significance.

His announcement led to an even more stunning turnabout, as Mr. Gulotta said for the first time in his 13-year tenure that he would strongly support reassessment.

It was a stunning turnabout for the Dursts, who had long opposed the proposed office towers in the Times Square project.

But in a stunning last-minute turnabout, the powerful bank yielded yesterday to the entreaties of Western investors and agreed to rewrite its stock proposal.

The deal is a stunning turnabout to months of hostility, including a series of bitter public comments and a lawsuit.

By some measures, the action seems to represent a stunning turnabout for an institution that has traditionally been regarded as a staunch ally of political hard-liners on the right.

It was a stunning turnabout for Mr. Pastrana, who had staked his presidency on ending the brutal 37-year conflict.

Such observations represent a stunning turnabout for Nigeria, Africa's most populous and second richest country, and reflect the deep frustrations of millions of Nigerians.

The loss for the Christian Democrats amounted to a stunning turnabout.