KYRGYZ ELECTIONS: BALLOT SCANDAL ERUPTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BISHKEK 001441 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZ ELECTIONS: BALLOT SCANDAL ERUPTS REF: A. BISHKEK 1425 ¶B. BISHKEK 1419 ¶C. BISHKEK 1402 BISHKEK 00001441 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: CDA Lee Litzenberger, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On December 4, Kyrgyzstan's Central Election Commission (CEC) decided to cancel Edil Baisalov's registration as a Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) candidate in the December 16 parliamentary elections. Baisalov had posted a picture of a ballot on his personal blog, and the CEC maintained that this breach necessitated reprinting all 2.7 million ballot papers. CEC officials said they would try to recover reprinting costs from the SDPK through court action, and even discussed canceling the party's registration for the election. Baisalov told us that posting the picture had been a serious mistake, but that the CEC had unnecessarily blown the incident up into a major issue. Baisalov said SDPK leaders, under pressure from the CEC, had asked him to withdraw from the election, and he had been prepared to do so, until the CEC overstepped its authority and removed him from the list. Now, he said, he was forced to defend himself and will demand "due process." End summary. Blog Post Sparks Controversy -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Edil Baisalov, Executive Secretary of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) and a candidate in the December 16 parliamentary elections, touched off a controversy when he posted a photograph of an official ballot to his personal blog late on December 3. Earlier in the day at an opposition-organized roundtable meeting, Baisalov had criticized the CEC's security arrangements for the ballots, noting that the ballots were being printed on ordinary paper with no control or accounting of the number printed. The next day, CEC members alleged that Baisalov had violated election laws and that ballots could be forged due to his publication of the photo. The CEC decided to invalidate all of the printed ballots and ordered reprinting of all 2.7 million ballot papers. The CEC discussed seeking compensation from the SDPK through the courts. The CEC then decided to cancel Baisalov's registration as a candidate (he held the 13th position on the SDPK's list) and to strip him of his position as an advisory member of the CEC. ¶3. (SBU) Several media reports accused Baisalov of posting the photo deliberately to expose the weakness of the security arrangements for the ballots. Several lawyers questioned the legal basis for the CEC's cancellation of Baisalov's candidacy. SDPK lawyer Galina Skripkina told the press that Baisalov's action had to be shown to be illegal before the CEC could remove him from the election. Late on December 5, CEC member Jyldyz Joldosheva told the press that a final decision on Baisalov's candidacy had not been made, and that the CEC was still reviewing the matter. Baisalov: It Was a Mistake, but . . . -------------- ¶4. (C) On December 5, Charge met with Baisalov, who acknowledged that posting the photo of the ballot had been a serious mistake, but was upset at the turn of events. He said that the CEC had unnecessarily blown the incident out of proportion, and he was now being forced to defend himself. He provided us a version of events that differed from some media reports. ¶5. (C) According to Baisalov, who is (was) an "advisory member" of the CEC, he had been called over the weekend to take an overnight "shift" at the government printing house to watch ballot printing, which all CEC members were obligated to do. During his shift, Baisalov observed the printing, BISHKEK 00001441 002.2 OF 002 spoke with the MVD and GKNB guards, helped the workers, and took some photographs, including of a ballot. ¶6. (C) Following his overnight shift, Baisalov said he had a full day of election-related activities December 3, including roundtable criticism of security arrangements for the ballots. An exhausted Baisalov later posted the ballot photo to his blog "without thinking." Another CEC member, Gulia Ryskulova, read the blog, saw the photo, and complained. Baisalov said he immediately removed the photo, explaining that he had not intended to expose the weakness of ballot security; he had simply been tired and had not exercised good judgment. But the CEC Made It a Big Issue -------------- ¶7. (C) According to Baisalov, he had been prepared to withdraw his candidacy over the incident, and SDPK leader Babanov had asked him to do so. However, the CEC unnecessarily blew the incident out of proportion. At the CEC meeting on December 4, Baisalov intimated that CEC members appeared to have had their minds made up before the meeting began. In an intimidating gesture, GKNB Chairman Sutalinov, Interior Minister Nogoibayev, and Prosecutor General Satybaldiyev were also in attendance at the meeting. The discussion of a criminal case and the possibility of financial sanctions, Baisalov told us, has forced him to defend himself. In such a posture, he said he would demand "due process" and was not going to discuss the matter publicly. Ruptured Relations with SDPK -------------- ¶8. (C) Baisalov said that SDPK leader Babanov had asked him to resign from the party. He also said that his relationship with party leader Almaz Atambayev had deteriorated when he had warned Atambayev of his impending dismissal as prime minister. Baisalov said that he still had good relations with many rank and file members of the party. Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) As with all things political here, the first casualty in any incident is often the truth. Regardless of whether he acted intentionally or not, Baisalov has sparked an electoral controversy that is another major drama of the parliamentary campaign. The gloves are off, and further fireworks are likely as the December 16 vote draws near. LITZENBERGER