VIEWS FROM SOUTH ON THE REFERENDUM AND POSSIBLE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001270 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL KG SUBJECT: VIEWS FROM SOUTH ON THE REFERENDUM AND POSSIBLE ELECTIONS REF: BISHKEK 1184 Classified By: Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. On a two-day visit to the southern capitals of Jalalabad and Osh (other issues reported septel),the Ambassador met with the governors of both oblasts, NGOs, and political party representatives, who shared their views on the presidential decree announcing an October 21 national referendum on a "new edition" of the constitution (reftel). The governor of Jalalabad backed the presidential decree, criticizing parliament and praising new presidential powers bestowed by the draft. The governor of Osh expressed skepticism over the draft constitution, noting it was a step back from democracy, but conceded it would be likely by passed. NGOs and political parties shared their worries that the referendum was being used by the president as a political tool to strengthen his powers. End Summary. Jalalabad Governor Backs Referendum... -------------- ¶2. (C) In an October 1 meeting with the Ambassador, Jalalabad Governor Iskander Aidaraliev said he fully supported President Bakiyev's decree for constitutional reform and predicted it would pass. He stated the president should have greater control over Parliament, as well as increased influence over village administration heads. Aidaraliev also backed post-referendum parliamentary elections, and criticized the current membership as dysfunctional. "We have 75 MPs acting as 75 prime ministers, and they are obstructing government work," he argued. According to the governor, several current MPs violated the election code to get into office and subsequently abused their immunity to escape prosecution. When asked about the U.S. position on the draft constitution, the Ambassador replied the referendum was an internal matter for the Kyrgyz Republic, but said certain principles are paramount in a democracy: balance of powers, rule of law, and transparency of process in any constitution it may adopt. The governor pledged that the referendum in Jalalabad would be clean, but expressed concern about voter turnout, since so many voters are abroad. ...While Osh Governor Expresses Skepticism -------------- ¶3. (C) Calling the new draft a step back from democracy, Osh Governor Jantoro Satybaldiev expressed skepticism over the draft constitution, saying he did not want to see presidential powers dramatically increased. "We are not Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, or Tajikistan." Moreover, he said the constitution contained a number of loopholes and contradictions that would cause political strife after the referendum. Satybaldiev noted that this constitution would merely be another short-lived draft, but certainly not the end of the constitutional reform process as the president promised. He conceded, however, the referendum would likely pass, not because the electorate understood the draft or supported the president, but rather because of voter dissatisfaction with parliament. Satybaldiev added that under the draft constitution's party list system, the number of parties would be reduced from over 100 to far fewer. Political parties are not prepared to contest elections under the new draft constitution, he explained. Local NGOs: Give us More Time -------------- ¶4. (C) In Jalalabad and Osh, local NGO representatives expressed concern to the Ambassador over the lack of time given to study the draft constitution, the president's motives behind the timing of the decree, and low voter turn out. Janna Savalaeva, head of Women Leaders of Jalalabad and Elmira Mavlyanova of the Civil Society Support Center both pointed out that whereas experts and voters had one to two years to analyze and debate previous constitutional drafts, they only had 30 days to do so under Bakiyev's decree. Savalaeva also argued that Bakiyev had issued the decree in order to distract attention away from public anger over price increases in the consumer food basket. Both Savalaeva and Mavlyanova stated the referendum would likely not attract the requisite 50 percent voter participation threshold due to the number of seasonal migrant workers still in Russia or Kazakhstan. This raised concerns, they said, that local governments may engage in ballot stuffing. However, Gulnara Nurmatova, director of the Islamic Education Center "School of Leadership", said she supported the president's bid for additional powers, so that one person would be responsible for all the issues and could be held accountable. BISHKEK 00001270 002 OF 002 ¶5. (C) The representatives explained their NGOs were engaged in active public awareness campaigns on the draft constitution, but had encountered massive voter apathy, especially in rural areas. In a roundtable at Jalalabad State University, students reported to the Ambassador that the rector had given instructions that students spread public awareness about the referendum and contents of draft constitution. None of the students present, however, said they had read the draft. Concern from Political Parties -------------- ¶6. (C) Representatives from the opposition Ata-Meken and Asaba stated their parties did not support the referendum. Ergeshaly Sadirov, chief of the Jalalabad branch of Ata-Meken, said under the proposed party list system, only 10-15 parties would be able to participate in elections. He complained that most political parties don't have sufficient financial resources to participate under the proposed system. He noted the unusual timing of Bakiyev's decree was a strategy by the Republic Party of Labor, a pro-presidential party with wealthy backers, to capitalize on its solid financial position in post-referendum elections. Begaim Toktonalieva, co-chair of the Asaba party's Jalalabad branch, said Asaba was not supporting the referendum because of its "suspicious" timing. She argued the Administration had purposely scheduled the referendum for October due to the absence of seasonal migrant workers. In addition, annual harvests would prevent many rural voters from participating in the referendum. Nariman Kadyrbekov, Osh regional chapter coordinator for Asaba expressed his party's worries about election fraud. He singled out irregularities in the selection of precinct commissions that will oversee the referendum vote. He said local administrations were trying to place "their own people" into the commissions, and had purposely kept Asaba out. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Even in Bakiyev's home region, there is concern about the increase in presidential authority under the draft constitution, but most expect the draft to be approved in the referendum, one way or another. The short time-frame, along with general apathy and dissatisfaction with the current parliament, have made it nearly impossible to organize any campaign against the drafts. In addition, the opposition parties were concerned that most parties would not be ready to compete in the early elections expected to follow the referendum. YOVANOVITCH