ELECTION DAY IN HANOI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001286 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI VM DPOL SUBJECT: ELECTION DAY IN HANOI REF: A. HANOI 1250 B. HANOI 1199 C. HANOI 997 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. AIDED BY UNRELENTING GOVERNMENT UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HANOI 01286 01 OF 02 201032Z EXHORTATIONS, VOTER TURNOUTS IN HANOI AND ELSEWHERE IN VIETNAM FOR THE MAY 19 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION WERE ALMOST "PERFECT," HOWEVER IMPROBABLE THAT SEEMS TO WESTERN OBSERVERS. MOST VOTING WAS OVER BY 9 OR 10 A.M., ALTHOUGH POLLS WERE REQUIRED TO REMAIN OPEN UNTIL AT LEAST 5 P.M. MANY PEOPLE VOTED BY PROXY; OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS FOR THEM BY USING THEIR VOTER CARDS, ALTHOUGH THIS IS TECHNICALLY AGAINST THE RULES. RESULTS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE BY THE WEEKEND, BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE MUCH OF A CLIFFHANGER THAT NONG DUC MANH WILL WIN OR THAT COMMUNIST PARTY CANDIDATES WILL WIN BY A LANDSLIDE. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) ACCORDING TO AN OFFICIAL REPORT FROM THE CENTRAL ELECTORAL COUNCIL, 98.45 OF HANOI VOTERS TURNED UP AT THE POLLS FOR THE MAY 19 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS, BEATING THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF ABOUT 94 PCT. THE FORMER CAPITAL OF HUE APPARENTLY LED THE NATION WITH AN AMAZING TURN-OUT OF 99.97 PCT OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS, WITH DANANG FOLLOWING AT 99.73 PCT. ¶3. (U) TRYING BOTH TO MAKE THE DAY AS "FESTIVE" AS PROMISED AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TO "PERSUADE" PEOPLE TO GO VOTE, PUBLIC LOUDSPEAKERS WENT ON FULL BLAST AS SOON AS THE POLLS OPENED AT 7:00 A.M. ALTERNATELY BLARING INVITATIONS TO VISIT THEIR LOCAL POLLING STATIONS AND PLAYING SONGS ASSOCIATED WITH HO CHI MINH (WHOSE BIRTHDAY THE NATION WAS ALSO CELEBRATING),THE CACOPHONY WAS UNAVOIDABLE IN THESE CITY STREETS (AS WELL AS OUR LIVING ROOMS). THE BROADCASTS PETERED OUT IN MID-AFTERNOON. AS THE DAY WORE ON, RADIO PROGRAMMING TURNED FROM THE ELECTION TO REMEMBRANCES OF UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HANOI 01286 01 OF 02 201032Z "UNCLE HO," AND LARGE CROWDS GATHERED IN FRONT OF HIS MAUSOLEUM. ¶4. (U) POLOFFS TRAVELED AROUND THE CITY TO GAUGE PUBLIC ENTHUSIASM. THERE WERE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD POLLING STATIONS, SOME SET UP IN DISTRICT PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE OFFICES, OTHERS IN SCHOOLS, AND EVEN A FEW IN TEMPLES AND COMMUNAL HALLS. THEY WERE BRIGHTLY DECORATED WITH RED BANNERS AS WELL AS PROMINENTLY PLACED POSTER BOARDS FEATURING THE CANDIDATES' RESUMES AND PHOTOS. CANDIDATES, INCLUDING CONSTITUENCY NUMBER 1'S NONG DUC MANH (BEST KNOWN AS GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF VIETNAM),WERE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (BY FIRST NAME). AT NONE OF THE POLLING STATIONS POLOFFS VISITED WERE THE ACTION PROGRAMS OR THE ASSETS DECLARATIONS OF THE CANDIDATES AVAILABLE. SOME VOTERS DID SAY THAT THEY HAD READ THE ACTION PROGRAMS IN THE DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION, HOWEVER. ¶5. (U) MOST PEOPLE WITH WHOM WE SPOKE SAID THAT THEY HAD BASED THEIR DECISION PRIMARILY ON THE RESUMES. SOME FAVORED SENIOR OFFICIALS, WHILE OTHERS DECIDED TO VOTE FOR LESS PROMINENT PEOPLE IN THE HOPE OF GETTING A DELEGATE WHO TRULY HAD TIME TO REPRESENT THEM. SOME PEOPLE SAID THAT THEY VOTED ONLY FOR THE YOUNGEST OF THE CANDIDATES IN ORDER TO PROMOTE THE "NEXT GENERATION" OF LEADERS. ¶6. (U) MANY POLLING STATIONS HAD UNIVERSITY STUDENTS -- THE GIRLS IN TRADITIONAL AO DAI DRESSES, THE BOYS IN WHITE SHIRTS AND NECKTIES -- WORKING THE DESKS TO CHECK THE RECENTLY-ISSUED VOTER "CARDS" (ACTUALLY JUST A SMALL SLIP OF REGULAR WHITE PAPER WITH THE VOTER'S NAME AND AN OFFICIAL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HANOI 01286 01 OF 02 201032Z RED STAMP) AGAINST VOTER LISTS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. EACH STATION ALSO HAD AT LEAST ONE GREEN-UNIFORMED SECURITY OFFICIAL (APPARENTLY NOT POLICE),WEARING A SPECIAL RED ARMBAND. EVEN THE SECURITY PERSONNEL WELCOMED POLOFFS AND SEEMED PLEASED AT THE INTEREST BY FOREIGNERS IN THE ELECTION. ¶7. (U) BY 10 A.M., WORKERS AT POLLING STATIONS WERE ALREADY TELLING POLOFFS THAT THEY WERE BASICALLY DONE, WITH ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WHO HAD YET TO VOTE. THE PEAK VOTING HOUR WAS APPARENTLY AROUND 8 A.M. ACCORDING TO MEDIA COVERAGE, MANY POLLING STATIONS WERE ABLE TO CLOSE UP AT 5 P.M., THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE OFFICIAL CLOSING TIME (OTHERWISE, POLLS WERE TO REMAIN OPEN UNTIL 7 P.M.) ONE ELECTION WORKER SAID THE DIFFERENT POLLING STATIONS WERE COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER ON WHO FINISHED THE EARLIEST. ¶8. (U) RANDOM CHATS WITH VOTERS ALMOST UNIFORMLY PRODUCED AN "OF COURSE" WHEN ASKED IF THEY HAD VOTED YET. SOME WORKING ON ELECTION DAY SAID THAT THEY HAD VOTED BEFORE GOING TO WORK. MANY, HOWEVER, ADMITTED THAT THEY DID NOT THEMSELVES GO AND VOTE, AND BLITHELY CONFESSED THAT A FATHER, OR BROTHER, OR NEIGHBOR HAD TAKEN THEIR VOTER CARD AND VOTED ON THEIR BEHALF (REF B). (THERE WAS NO REQUIREMENT AT THE POLLING STATIONS FOR VOTERS TO PRODUCE AN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ1357 PAGE 01 HANOI 01286 02 OF 02 201032Z ACTION EAP-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 ED-01 FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 HHS-01 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 LAB-01 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 STR-00 TEST-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 IIP-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /011W -------------- B0E127 201032Z /38 O 201025Z MAY 02 FM AMEMBASSY HANOI TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6529 INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY ASEAN COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY BEIJING USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 001286 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV IDENTIFICATION CARD OF ANY SORT, OR TO SIGN ONE'S NAME; THE NAMES ON THE VOTER LIST WERE MERELY CHECKED OFF WITH AN "X" AGAINST THE VOTER CARD.) NO ONE SEEMED TO THINK THIS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HANOI 01286 02 OF 02 201032Z PROCEDURE AT ALL UNUSUAL, ALTHOUGH IT IS APPARENTLY AGAINST OFFICIAL REGULATIONS. MANY PEOPLE WITH WHOM POLOFFS SPOKE COULD NOT QUITE REMEMBER FOR WHOM THEY HAD JUST VOTED (EXCEPT FOR THOSE IN NONG DUC MANH'S DISTRICT),BUT OTHERS REMINDED POLOFFS THAT THEIR BALLOTS WERE MEANT TO BE "SECRET" AND SO THEY SHOULD NOT TELL US, ANYWAY. ¶9. (U) COMMENT: NOBODY HAD EXPECTED THE ELECTION TO BE MUCH OF A CLIFFHANGER. STILL, HANOI VOTERS SEEMED TO TAKE TO HEART THEIR "DUTY" TO VOTE (WITH MANY EXPRESSING THE ERRONEOUS VIEW THAT VOTING IS LEGALLY MANDATORY),EVEN IF BY PROXY. ONCE THE OFFICIAL RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE, EMBASSY WILL REPORT ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, BUT OUR MONEY REMAINS ON THE RE-ELECTION OF NONG DUC MANH AND A LANDSLIDE FOR COMMUNIST PARTY CANDIDATES. BURGHARDT UNCLASSIFIED