PRE-ELECTIONS MEETINGS IN TURKMENABAT: THE SAME, YET

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000177

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR SCA/CEN (PERRY),SCA/PPD, EUR/ACE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ETRD TX TNGD KPAO ECON

SUBJECT: PRE-ELECTIONS MEETINGS IN TURKMENABAT: THE SAME, YET
DIFFERENT

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) On January 23, Charge d'Affaires a.i. Jennifer Brush,
ConOff, and PolEcon LES visited Turkmenabat, the capital of Lebap
Welayat (Province),to observe activity in the lead-up to
Turkmenistan's first multi-candidate presidential elections. During
her courtesy call with local officials, the Charge raised continuing
concerns about harassment of the Turkmenabat American Corner, and
found a surprising ally in a local official whose daughter was a
FLEX alumnus. Following that meeting, Central Election Committee
Chairman Myrat Garryev escorted Emboffs to formal campaign
appearances by presidential candidates Orazmyrat Garajayev and
Ashyrniyaz Pomanov, ending the day with a tour of a local voting
precinct. End Summary.

ELECTIONS, EDUCATION AND PRIVATIZATION
--------------


2. (SBU) Deputy Hakim of Lebap Welayat Annamurad Saparmuhammedov
introduced his colleagues, including Myrat Garryev, Central Election
Committee Chairman; Yusup Jumayev, Deputy Chairman of the Lebap
Election Committee; Akmurat Jomartov, Chief of Administration, Lebap
Welayat Hakimlik; Batyr Abdiyev, Administration Department, Lebap
Welayat Hakimlik; Ejegul Bayriyeva, Deputy Hakim (Mayor) of
Turkmenabat city and Chief of Lebap Women's Union; and Shirin
Jumakuliyeva, Trade Union Chief for Lebap Welayat.


3. (SBU) When discussing the elections, local officials were
cautious in characterizing presidential candidates' platforms as
deviating from Niyazov's policies. Garryev was more confident in
speaking about needed changes, perhaps signaling that he feels
comfortable about his role within the post-Niyazov power structure.
When Saparmuhammedov began to defend the nine-year education system
using the old party lines, Garryev impatiently cut him off and
reminded him that the Interim President and all the other candidates
agreed that expanding education to a ten-year curriculum was
necessary. The Lebap officials were confused when the Charge
mentioned one candidate's statement opposing the privatization of
communal agricultural land; they agreed that privatizing home and
garden plots could be possible, but felt that title to large-scale
agricultural plots must remain communally held, albeit with
long-term leaseholders having stronger rights to the land.

THE AMERICAN CORNER AND FLEX TESTING PROBLEMS
--------------


4. (SBU) The Charge noted post's continuing concerns about
regarding harassment of the Turkmenabat American Corner, including
the closure of a proposed children's Halloween party, an issue that
ConOff had addressed with Jomartov and Abdiyev in November. Charge
remarked that the Halloween party incident had received high-level
attention in Washington, and that welayat officials should not want
this type of petty harassment to be seen as characteristic of Lebap.
While harassment of the American Corner had appeared to level off
somewhat in the last few months, hakimlik officials still did not
appear to be willing and cooperative partners.


5. (SBU) Jomartov and his deputy, Abdiyev, expressed appreciation
that the Embassy had addressed a concern that he had raised in
November with Conoff that the director of the American Corner was
submitting her activities reports in English. However, he remained
defensive of his office's scrutiny of American Corner activities,
insisting that the main obstacle to better cooperation was the
"willful" and "provoking" personality of the American Corner
director. Jomartov pointed to his office's lack of harassment of
the IATP center and "cooperation" on FLEX testing in Lebap as proof
that "she was the problem, not us." (COMMENT: For those who have
met the director of the American Corner, it is difficult to imagine
a less antagonistic person. Emboffs suspect that her ethnicity --
she is an ethnic Russian, unlike her ethnic Turkmen predecessor --
may play a role. END COMMENT.)


6. (SBU) The Charge expressed the Embassy's full support for the
American Corner director, noting that she had been carefully chosen
for her position based on her qualifications, and that she was well
aware of her obligation to operate within the boundaries of
Turkmenistan law. As for Jomartov's argument that the hakim's
office was cooperative in facilitating FLEX testing, the Charge
protested that Lebap Welayat Educational Department official
Masharipov had attempted to block otherwise qualified students from
testing sites and only relented when Emboffs who observed his
actions confronted him directly. Garryev, who appeared irritated
with Jomartov's response, goaded Saparmuhammedov into promising that
the hakim would look into the matter. (COMMENT: When the Charge
raised her concerns, the look of incomprehension on
Saparmuhammedov's face and surprised displeasure on Garryev's face

indicated that Jomartov had not briefed his superiors adequately.
Garryev appeared deeply annoyed with Jomartov's defensive
justifications of his officials' behavior. END COMMENT.)


7. (SBU) At the end of the meeting, Shirin Jumakuliyeva, the head
of the Trade Unions, interrupted Jomartov's attempt to have the last
word. "Do not let their actions make you think," she said, "that we
do not appreciate what the United States has done for us." She
praised the availability of English-language texts, Internet access,
and cultural programs through the American Corner. She went on to
mention her gratitude for her daughter's opportunity to study in the
United States through the FLEX program, which led to her daughter's
acceptance to the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek.
Offering an opportunity to children to participate in the FLEX
program, she said, was a dream for most Turkmenistan parents.

"ELECTION THEATER": HIGHLY-SCRIPTED DEMOCRACY AT WORK
-------------- --------------


8. (SBU) Following the morning meeting, Garryev accompanied the
Charge, ConOff and PolEcon LES to a Turkmenabat auditorium for
appearances by presidential candidates Orazmyrat Garajayev and
Ashyrniyaz Pomanov. The appearances were stultifying in their
scripting, from the affected Soviet-style rhetoric of supporters'
introductions to candidates' stiff discomfort as they read
tonelessly from written speeches to the blandness of the
"spontaneous" audience questions for the candidates.


9. (SBU) In addition to reiterating his general platform, Orazmyrat
Garajayev, the candidate from Abadan City in Ahal Province, made a
few remarks that were tailored to the Turkmenabat audience. First,
he promised to build a cement factory in Lebap, presumably to
address unemployment, though he did not go so far as to say so. He
vowed to develop "natural resources" in Magdanly, a Lebap town, and
to "continue the beautification" of all towns and villages. Of more
general interest, he promised to sell apartments newly built by the
government at affordable prices and to further develop the
transportation infrastructure between the welayats.


10. (SBU) Balkan Welayat candidate Ashyrniyaz Pomanov's speech was
distinguished by his strong personal interest in rebuilding sports
and recreation facilities and programs; he vowed to build a new
public sports complex in each Welayat. Noting the $1.5 billion of
technology invested in the Turkmenbashy refinery, Pomanov promised
that similar advanced technology would be invested in the Seydi
refinery, located in Lebap Welayat. Finally, he promised to develop
a plan to allow privatization of homestead lots, and to provide
long-term mortgage loans to young families.


11. (SBU) COMMENT: Despite the predictability in the format of the
candidate events, there were several nuances that were a welcome
change from a similar candidate event Conoff attended in Turkmenabat
in November, prior to district-level elections. The local
candidates' platforms, prior to Niyazov's death, consisted of
praising "Saparmurat Turkmenbashy the Great" and the Ruhnama, along
with taking uncontroversial stances "for beautification" and
"against narcotics." The presidential candidates, while not
deviating substantially from each other, addressed areas where the
Government of Turkmenistan could actually improve, an idea that
would not be novel in almost any other country.

BRUSH