HOW TO RUN AN ELECTION IN A ONE-PARTY STATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENTIANE 000433

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS
BANGKOK ALSO FOR USAID

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL LA
SUBJECT: HOW TO RUN AN ELECTION IN A ONE-PARTY STATE

REF: VIENTIANE 360

Classified By: Ambassador Patricia M. Haslach, reason 1.4 (b) and (d)

Summary
--------------

1. (C) Communist Party members dominated the slate of
candidates in the April 30 National Assembly elections: only
two candidates of the 175 standing were "independents," and
that by a stretch of imagination. The government touted the
improved qualifications of the 115 newly-elected
representatives, which include 29 women and 23 minorities,
but the most meaningful qualification all shared was proven
"patriotism," meaning Party loyalty. The Assembly will meet
in early June, at which time it will elect the new President
and Vice President, who in turn will name the new cabinet.
With their propensity for seeing process as more important
than substance, many Lao genuinely believe their "election"
was free and fair. In our more jaundiced view, it was an
exercise designed to further consolidate the Party's grip by
purging the Assembly of non-performers. End summary.

The election
--------------

2. (SBU) Although National Assembly elections took place
April 30, the National Election Committee wasn't able to
announce the winners until May 10, after all scattered
polling stations had delivered their ballots to provincial
election committee ballot counters. In spite of admitted
problems in the lead-up to the elections, including districts
that were totally cut off as a result of washed-out roads and
ballot boxes that had to be delivered by helicopter, the
Election Committee boasted of a near-unanimous turnout of
eligible voters. In the Vientiane area, that may not have
been too far-fetched. Our informal tour of polling stations
on election morning found villagers lined up even before the
6:00 AM poll station opening. Voting was compulsory: voters
were issued a form to prove they had cast ballots and village
chiefs were under pressure to get full turn-out of eligible
voters. With many polling stations hooked up to public
address systems that advertised non-stop the duty of citizens
to vote, those eligible would have been hard-pressed to find
an excuse for having missed out.


3. (SBU) By-and-large, Lao citizens took the election
seriously, as a matter of national pride. The public
announcements broadcast from polling stations played on the
patriotism theme; we overheard one announcement telling
voters they were demonstrating to a skeptical world that the
Lao people cherished their voting rights and were faithful to
their government and the Party. Voters were expected to show
their regard for the electoral process. Women who showed up
to polling stations wearing slacks or "improper" dress were
sent home. In spite of the guarantee of a "secret" ballot,
election officials were on hand to inspect each ballot to
make sure the voters took their responsibility seriously and
voted correctly.

The outcome
--------------

4. (C) The delays in announcing the election results were,
officially, due to the vagaries of running an election in
areas without roads or electricity. We suspect that in
remoter parts of the country, especially those inhabited by
ethnic minorities, many villagers never saw a ballot or
probably even had an inkling there was an election on,
although the Lao government isn't admitting that.


5. (SBU) It may have taken more than a week to announce the
results, but surely no one was on the edge of their seats
waiting for the results. Predictably, the better-known
members of the Party (including four Politburo members:
Thongsing Thammavong, Bouasone Bouphavanh, Thongloun
Sisoulith and Pany Yathoteu) won in their provinces by wide
margins. One of the two "independent" candidates won; both
independents were businesspeople with strong affiliations to
the Party but who do not claim Party membership. The lone
independent winner, Ousavanh Thiengthepvongsa, is an
up-and-coming businessman who has started a "young people's"
chapter of the Party-controlled Lao Chamber of Commerce.


6. (SBU) The vast majority of the winners, however, were
tried-and-tested Communists, representing a range of

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backgrounds from line ministries, provincial governments,
"mass front" organizations, schools, hospitals and the
military. Election Committee spokesperson Viset Svengsuksa
told the press when election results were announced that 44
incumbent members of the previous (5th) National Assembly and
71 new members had been elected. The winners were, according
to Viset, both younger and better-educated than the previous
Assembly, as well as more representative of the national
make-up.


7. (C) The range and background of the candidates who sought
election was no accident. During the campaign a National
Assembly candidate came to us looking for "assistance" with
his electioneering: in essence, he hoped we could fund his
plan to pay voters for their support. In return he would
"help the U.S." on human rights and other issues of concern
to us. We turned down that tempting offer, but were intrigued
by his description of the election process. An ethnic Hmong,
he told us he had been "drafted" by the Lao Front for
National Construction to run in Vientiane city, since each
province had to provide at least one minority candidate, one
female candidate, and one candidate representing the health
and education sectors. There were some voluntary candidates,
he told us (presumably including the two independents),but
the majority of those seeking office were enlisted because of
their qualifications under this "quota" system. The neat
breakdown of the winners leads us to believe the results of
the election were probably a foregone conclusion long before
April 30.

National Assembly meets in June
--------------

8. (C) For Lao watchers in Vientiane, the real significance
of the election won't be seen until the 6th National Assembly
meets in early June. During its inaugural session, the new
Assembly will elect the country's President and Vice
President, who in turn will appoint the new cabinet. The
decisions about who will take over as next President, as well
as the shape of the new cabinet, have already been made, but
to maintain the fiction that the Assembly has some
independent authority to name the President, the new line-up
won't be formally announced until the Assembly meets. The
new Assembly will also adopt the economic Five-Year Plan,
another pro forma exercise to validate the economic
development strategy decided by the Party at the 8th Party
Congress in March.

Comment
--------------

9. (C) It is hard not to see the recent National Assembly
elections as a cynical exercise conducted by the Party to
give a veneer of respectability to its unchecked exercise of
power. Although there are some hopeful signs along the edges
(notably the election of an "independent," however closely he
is tied to the Party),by-and-large the elections were
designed to put into office a contingent of representatives
with proven Party track records and unquestioned loyalty to
its policies. The cross-sampling of the Lao electorate
(ethnic minorities, women, educators, health workers and the
like) may give the Assembly a semblance of diversity, but all
share the same political outlook.


10. (C) The National Assembly has "matured" in some ways in
recent years: the 5th Assembly, which sat from 2002 until
early this year, proved especially willing to take the
government to task for its shortcomings. However, that
new-found confidence had little to do with a streak of
independence and much more with the Party's conviction that
the Assembly has an important role in pushing the government
to more effectively implement Party policy and in creating
the legal framework needed to convince the outside world that
Laos abides by the rule of law. The mandate of the new
Assembly that will take its seat in June is not to rock the
boat, but to crack the whip over the government to convert
Party diktat into practical application. End comment.

HASLACH