LOCAL ACTIVISTS SKEPTICAL FOREIGN ASSISTANCE WILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001365

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/CARC, EUR/ACE, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2011
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID PHUM KDEM KPAO AM
SUBJECT: LOCAL ACTIVISTS SKEPTICAL FOREIGN ASSISTANCE WILL
LEAD TO CLEANER ELECTIONS


Classified By: Pol/Econ chief Steve Banks, reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: On September 26, donor organizations
presented election assistance plans to a group of local NGO
partners. The NGOs were pessimistic that technical
assistance and training would make much difference to the
conduct of the 2007 elections, believing the GOAM would
pre-determine the outcome and ensure the desired results.
The NGOs were especially concerned about tightening
government controls on broadcast media, and public apathy.
END SUMMARY.

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NGOS DISCUSS ELECTION PROGRAMS
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2. (U) At a September 26 Open Society Institute roundtable,
the leading international donors in Armenia (USAID, UNDP,
OSCE, CoE, OSI, and UK Embassy) presented their plans for
election assistance programs to local NGOs. These programs
aim to provide technical assistance, educate election
officials and voters, and increase public awareness and
participation.

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FAIR ELECTIONS RECIPE LACKS POLITICAL WILL
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3. (C) NGO leaders expressed doubt that the assistance would
lead to fair democratic elections because, they said,
authorities had already mapped out the next National
Assembly. NGOs were quite skeptical about donor plans to
train Central Election Commission members and judges, saying
that those officials had been ordered to commit election
fraud in the past. Civil Society Institute,s Artak
Kirakosian commented that technical assistance will go only
so far. Kirakosian said the international community should
take measures to ensure the physical safety of local election
monitors and other public participants in the process.

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ARMENIAN PUBLIC - APATHETIC AND DEMORALIZED
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4. (C) The NGO leaders were disheartened by the seeming
political apathy of Armenian society. Transparency
International,s Amalia Kostanyan said the general public saw
no incentive to get involved. Despite constitutional
reforms, little has changed in practice. She said that the
impunity of corrupt officials, including past
election-stealers, also demoralized voters. Kostanyan
suggested it was the international community's obligation to
see that Armenia prosecuted such offenders. Other NGO
leaders noted that the Armenian public was not immune to
corruption, and said that those who sell their votes for USD
10 must be made to understand the long-term consequences of
their actions. The NGOs agreed that they needed to change
the mentality of the people in order to try to create the
demand for democracy from below.

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BLEAK CONDITIONS FOR MEDIA FREEDOM
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5. (C) NGO leaders said the most alarming problem was the
absence of independent broadcast media. According to Nune
Sargsian, the executive director of Internews NGO, in
previous elections it had been possible to encourage certain
TV and radio stations to provide fair and objective election
campaign coverage. But Sargsian said that all broadcast
media are now under strict government control. The Helsinki
Committee,s Avetik Ishkhanian said international efforts to
train media outlets will do nothing about the problem of
government control. Other NGO leaders suggested that the
international organizations should purchase air time for
debates to ensure candidates receive equal and fair coverage.
(NOTE: It has been alleged and is widely believed that the
Presidential spokesman and chief of staff closely vet
broadcasters' news and editorial content, even reviewing
stories in advance for outlets deemed less trustworthy. Radio
Liberty -- which authorities appear reluctant to drive off
the air -- and some Russian news reporting, are seen as the
most credible and independent news sources on Armenia's
national airwaves. END NOTE.)

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COMMENT
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YEREVAN 00001365 002 OF 002



6. (C) The local NGOs participating represent some of our
best partners and the most active pro-democracy voices in
Armenia. Their deep pessimism is troubling, if not wholly
unsurprising, as many Armenians share their sentiments.
According to an August Gallup Poll commissioned by the
International Republican Institute, 78 percent of respondents
said the 2007 parliamentary elections would not be free and
fair. Even so, 71 percent of respondents said they would
"definitely" or "probably" vote in those elections. But, the
local NGO's attitude may also be slightly exaggerated: These
are the people most involved with democracy and human
rights-building efforts, often confronting the authorities on
a daily basis. They are also vigorous advocates, and
government officialdom is as often their opponent as their
partner. It may be natural for these representatives to be
more jaded and cynical -- worn down by the daily grind --
than is perhaps warranted. That said, they are also some of
the most informed sources outside of the government, and
their unanimous views cannot be dismissed lightly. Clearly
-- as we have always known -- election assistance may be a
necessary, but certainly not sufficient, precondition for the
next elections to be free and fair.


GODFREY