HRDF POLLING ENDS, NEW DISTRIBUTOR SUCCESSFUL

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 001227 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL/PHD KARA CUMBERLAND E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2016 TAGS: PGOV KDEM BO SUBJECT: HRDF POLLING ENDS, NEW DISTRIBUTOR SUCCESSFUL REF: A. 05 MINSK 591 ¶B. MINSK 1055 Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reasons 1.4 (d) ¶1. (C) This is the fourth report on the implementation of a DRL grant to provide independent opinion polling in Belarus. Under the auspices of a DRL Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF) small grant (ref A),the IISEPS polling service conducted the sixph and final opinion poll in November (see septel for polling results). IISEPS director Oleg Manaev November 20 gave Ambassador the November polling results in an introductory meeting. ¶2. (C) Manaev noted to Ambassador that since June, the number of respondents who have seen independent polling results (via media, leaflets, or conversations) has increased from 23.8% to 30.5%. If Manaev's calculations are correct and 1% of respondents theoretically represent 70,000 people, then 2.135 million Belarusians have came into contact with independent polling results in 2006. Since February, the amount of people who have read IISEPS' bulletin "Belaruskiy Vyestnik" containing IISEPS polling results increased from 9.1% to 13.1%, or from 637,000 to 917,000 people. ¶3. (C) Manaev attributed the dramatic increase in consumption to the Belarusian Party of Communists' (BPC) well-developed distribution scheme (ref B). Makifg his sales pitch, Manaev stated that if the U.S. were to provide another HRDF grant to IISEPS, he could begin the next series of public opinion polling by early spring 2007. According to Manaev, the Czech government had already confirmed its willingness to continue financing IISEPS'/BPC's distribution campaign. Stewart