KYRGYZ ELECTIONS: OPPOSITION CONTINUES TO CRY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 001486 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZ ELECTIONS: OPPOSITION CONTINUES TO CRY FOUL REF: A. BISHKEK 1478 ¶B. BISHKEK 1441 ¶C. BISHKEK 1424 ¶D. BISHKEK 1419 ¶E. BISHKEK 1402 BISHKEK 00001486 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Amb. Marie L. Yovanovitch, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Ahead of the December 16 parliamentary elections, senior government officials acknowledge the use of administrative resources to support the pro-presidential Ak Jol party, but attribute excesses against the opposition to over-zealous local officials. The controversial 0.5% regional threshold (which would require a party to get approximately 13,500 votes in each of the seven oblasts and in the cities of Bishkek and Osh) may be struck down by the courts, but possibly not until after the election. Leaders of the opposition Ata Meken party complain that the government has effectively blocked them from reaching voters, particularly in the southern regions. Some of the smaller parties tell us they lack the resources to compete with Ak Jol and Ata Meken and have little chance of entering parliament if the 0.5% threshold stands. END SUMMARY. FM: Don't Rush to Judgment -------------- ¶2. (C) Foreign Minister Karabayev said to the Ambassador on December 13 that there had been numerous violations during the campaign by both the pro-government and opposition parties. He acknowledged that there had been pressure against the opposition, as well as the use of administrative resources to support Ak Jol. He reasoned that some of this was inevitable, as Kyrgyzstan grappled for the first time with parliamentary elections entirely by party list, but that Kyrgyzstan was still a democratic country. He asked that we not rush to judgment about the elections, and that any public statement be balanced and fair. Presidential foreign policy advisor Ryskulov told the Ambassador on December 12 that these elections would promote stability in the country. He too acknowledged the use of administrative resources and other violations, but he asserted that the problems were coming from over-zealous local officials and were not the result of orders from the top. Bogatyrov: Court May Cancel Regional Threshold -------------- -- ¶3. (C) In a meeting with the Ambassador December 13, political analyst and administration insider Valentin Bogatyrov expanded on his recent press interviews suggesting that the controversial 0.5% regional threshold would lead to a one-party parliament (Ref A). Bogatyrov said he had warned administration officials, including President Bakiyev, that a victory for Ak Jol under such circumstances would be a Pyrrhic victory, because it would give the opposition grounds to protest. He said he went public with his views because "many around the president" want a total victory for Ak Jol. Bogatyrov outlined two scenarios for striking down the threshold -- either the court challenge would be taken to the Supreme Court or President Bakiyev would appeal to the Central Election Commission (CEC) to reverse its decision -- but this "show" would not happen until December 18 or 19, after the December 16 vote. (Comment: Bogatyrov is often right in the scenarios he presents, and we think there is a strong chance he was presenting the current White House plan. End comment.) Opposition Criticism of Ak Jol Intensifies -------------- ¶4. (C) Ata Meken party leaders blasted Ak Jol during a press conference December 13, accusing the Bakiyev-backed party of BISHKEK 00001486 002.2 OF 003 ignoring laws that prohibit the use of state resources for campaign purposes. They also called the entire campaign a farce, and demanded free and fair elections. Ex-Vice Speaker Erkin Alimbekov said that, after traveling throughout the country, he found that Ata Meken had no less than 70% of the people's support in each region. He added that, if Ata Meken did not receive a similar percentage of the vote on election day, the results would be challenged. Ex-MPs Timur Sariyev and Bolotbek Baibolov also made it clear that steps, although undefined, would be taken to oppose the government's actions, should they find that the vote was manipulated in Ak Jol's favor. Separately, Adilet Legal Clinic director and Ata Meken party candidate Cholpon Jakupova told Poloff that the government had broken essentially every law in the book to ensure success for Ak Jol. She also lambasted President Bakiyev personally for ignoring the rule of law and allowing a wholesale abuse of power by those loyal to his party. ¶5. (C) Ata Meken leader Omurbek Tekebayev shared separately with the Ambassador December 13 his misgivings about Ak Jol's tactics and the government's abuse of power, noting that Ata Meken has effectively been shut out of Batken oblast -- a region where Bakiyev and his supporters have the most control. Tekebayev said that the government had detained the truck carrying Ata Meken's campaign literature for the remote oblast, and police had prohibited the use of loudspeakers throughout the country. (Note: With two days left in the campaign, the Prosecutor General said there was no legal basis for the prohibition on loudspeakers. End Note) ¶6. (C) Tekebayev complained to the Ambassador that his party had been shut out of television. He criticized state-controlled TV and radio station KTR for claiming he insulted its top management while attempting to purchase airtime for Ata Meken, but was proud that he passed a lie-detector test apparently proving his side of the story. He went on to say that anti-government demonstrations could occur if the vote is manipulated to keep Ata Meken out of the next parliament. He also promised that Ata Meken would become more radical should the vote be deemed illegitimate, and said, "If we're shut out of parliament, we'll create a scandal." (Comment: Despite the litany of complaints, Tekebayev exuded cheery optimism. He noted that he had met recently with presidential chief of staff Sadyrkulov to discuss the ongoing campaign and ex-PM Atambayev's ouster. If the putative leader of the opposition is meeting with one of the president's chief strategists in the middle of the campaign, there is a good chance that deals are being discussed. End comment.) Smaller Parties Down and Out, but Still Running -------------- -- ¶7. (C) Poloff met separately with ex-MPs Arslanbek Maliyev, head of the Aalam (Universe) party, and Bolot Maripov, head of the Glas Naroda (Voice of the People) party, who presented similar assessments of the campaign. Each of them said that their chances of election to the next parliament were slim, due to their inability to compete financially with the more affluent Ak Jol and Ata Meken parties. They also expressed doubt that their parties would be able to surpass the 0.5% regional threshold, as interpreted by the CEC. Each accused the Bakiyev-backed Ak Jol party of using government resources for campaign purposes, and they were certain that state funds would also be used to buy votes. Similarly, they also criticized Ata Meken and its "oligarch" leaders for buying support, noting that they were just as corrupt as Ak Jol. Despite the financial and legal obstacles, however, Maliyev and Maripov seemed willing to continue their campaigns, although each was aware of their limited chances of actually winning any seats. (Comment: Maripov exuded confidence throughout the meeting. Maripov is seen as a Bakiyev loyalist, and there have been rumors that his Glas Naroda BISHKEK 00001486 003.2 OF 003 party might receive a few seats in a multi-party parliament. End comment.) Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Bogatyrov's scenario indicates the Administration may finally be realizing that it has over-engineered the vote to the extent that the threshold could back-fire on Ak Jol. The opposition is effectively publicizing the growing litany of election violations by Ak Jol and the Administration, but appears nevertheless committed to participate in the process, and there is no support for boycotting the election. Meanwhile, those candidates with little hope of getting into parliament are seeing to broker deals with Bakiyev's entourage to guarantee some kind of political future after December 16. YOVANOVITCH