Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06LAPAZ413
2006-02-16 17:43:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy La Paz
Cable title:  

NATIONAL ELECTORAL COURT PRESIDENT TO RESIGN

Tags:  PGOV PREL SOCI PHUM BL 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LA PAZ 000413 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA A/S SHANNON AND PDAS SHAPIRO
STATE ALSO FOR WHA/AND
NSC FOR DFISK
USCINCSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI PHUM BL
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ELECTORAL COURT PRESIDENT TO RESIGN

REF: A. LA PAZ 336 B. LA PAZ 409

Classified By: Ambassador David N. Greenlee for reasons 1.4d and b.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LA PAZ 000413

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA A/S SHANNON AND PDAS SHAPIRO
STATE ALSO FOR WHA/AND
NSC FOR DFISK
USCINCSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI PHUM BL
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ELECTORAL COURT PRESIDENT TO RESIGN

REF: A. LA PAZ 336 B. LA PAZ 409

Classified By: Ambassador David N. Greenlee for reasons 1.4d and b.


1. (C) Summary: President of the National Electoral Court
Oscar Hassenteufel told Poloff February 15 he was concerned
about the government's seeming intention to control even
autonomous Bolivian institutions -- and in particular to
purge the Electoral Court and dominate the Constituent
Assembly process. He acknowledged he planned to step down
soon, but mostly because reductions to his salary were such
that it made no sense for him financially to continue
working. Going against the prevailing analysis,
Hassenteufel speculated that the MAS would not fare as well
in the election of assembly representatives as it did on
December 18. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On February 15, Poloff met with President of the
National Electoral Court Oscar Hassenteufel (protect) to get
his views on the continued public pressure by MAS officials
and deputies for Electoral Court leaders to step down.
(According to February 14 press reports, MAS deputy Gustavo
Torrico again accused electoral court officials of having
fraudulently purged likely MAS voters from electoral rolls
prior to the December 18 elections. Echoing what they have
told us in the past, court officials have responded that the
purging of voter lists was done in a politically neutral
process that began well before early general elections had
even appeared on the agenda. Many observers believe the MAS
accusations are transparently political and without
substance. End Note.)


3. (C) Hassenteufel was plainly concerned by the MAS-led
government's actions and intentions. Pointing to the recent
resignation of the head of the national road service, Jose
Bakovic (after a barrage of so far unsupported corruption
allegations levied against him by government officials,
including President Morales),Hassenteufel said the
government's top priority seemed to be to gain control of the
range of Bolivian institutions, including those that were
supposed to be autonomous. In this connection, he noted that
early speculation regarding the government's likely
undemocratic intentions was being borne out by the facts.


4. (C) With respect to government-led attacks against the
integrity of the electoral court, Hassenteufel told us that
these appeared to reflect a strategy to purge the current
court leadership and make way for pro-government
replacements. Such a situation, he averred, would give the
government direct control over the institution that would
shape the Constituent Assembly -- and therefore the ability
to more fully control the assembly process (and result)
itself. He agreed that the government had appeared to
subordinate all its other objectives, including day-to-day
governing, to that of gaining control over the Constituent
Assembly (ref A). Asked about reported Venezuelan plans to
help the Bolivian government provide official identity
documents to the hundreds of thousands of Bolivians who lack
them and who are therefore unable to vote (ref B),
Hassenteufel said that approximately 250,000 Bolivians of
voting age were in that situation, and one would have reason
to worry should the Venezuelan-led program formalize the
voting status of significantly more people than that.


5. (C) In response to a question about whether court
representatives would depart in the face of government
pressure, Hassenteufel said he planned to step down soon, but
that financial considerations rather than political pressures
were paramount in shaping his personal decision. He
explained that the cuts in his salary as a result of the
government's planned austerity measures were such that
continuing to work would no longer make sense, and could even
cost him money -- given that pensions were based on a
percentage of one's terminal salary. Hassenteufel understood
that others would have to make judgments based on their
particular circumstances.

LA PAZ 00000413 002 OF 002




6. (C) Comment: Hassenteufel was less worried than most
observers about the MAS's prospects in the election of
Constituent Assembly representatives. (Many point to the
government's 75% approval ratings as evidence that it would
win big were elections held today.) He speculated that,
particularly if Bolivia's political opposition found a way to
unite against the common rival, the MAS would not fare as
well in the assembly vote as it did on December 18.
Hassenteufel's decision to step down (not yet made public),
taken together with the earlier announcement of Supreme Court
President Eduardo Rodriguez to leave his office March 1, will
leave two of Bolivia's four branches of government with
vacancies at the top. End Comment.
GREENLEE