AWAMI LEAGUE BOYCOTT; INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 000017 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM BG SUBJECT: AWAMI LEAGUE BOYCOTT; INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY RESPONDS REF: DHAKA 13 Classified By: Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis; Reason 1.4(d) ¶1. (SBU) The Awami League (AL) and its alliance partners followed through on their January 3 announcement that they would boycott upcoming parliamentary elections (reftel) by withdrawing virtually all of their nominations. Media reported that 2,370 nominations were withdrawn by the AL and its allies leaving 1,565 active nominations. Existing election procedures leave no scope for refilling the nominations. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador met January 4 with her counterparts from the UK, German, Australian, EU and UN missions to coordinate the international response. Participants agreed to a consistent message emphasizing three themes: elections would not be credible without the participation of all major parties (i.e., the Awami League and its alliance partners); the Caretaker Government is responsible for creating conditions that ensure the participation of all major parties; and violence must be avoided. Participants agreed to make these points to political leaders both privately and through coordinated press statements. Ambassador and UK High Commissioner Chowdhury are requesting joint calls on both BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina to emphasize our concerns. ¶3. (C) The EU suspended its 100 member short-term observation mission. They anticipate making a public announcement by January 7, when some members had planned to arrive, that the mission is cancelled. The EU's 40 member long-term observer mission, which is already in country, will remain but their mission will change from an observation mission to an assessment mission. The USAID funded National Democratic Institute (NDI),in consultation with USAID, will cancel its short-term observer mission and will reduce its long-term observer mission from a planned twenty members to the fourteen members currently in country. As with the EU, NDI's long-term observers will shift their focus from observation to assessment. USAID is in similar discussions with the International Republican Institute (IRI) concerning their observer missions. ¶4. (C) In concert with other missions, the Ambassador will privately contact advisors in the Caretaker Government to convey our core messages. Embassy has delivered these points to the President's senior advisor, Mukhlesur ("Mukhles") Rahman Chowdhury. Mukhles promised to convey the message to the President but also defended the Caretaker Government's plans to proceed with elections as scheduled. The Ambassador also spoke with BNP's Reaz Rahman. When Rahman pressed for a proposed US solution, the Ambassador reminded him it was the responsibility of the Caretaker Government to ensure participation by all parties in elections. ¶5. (C) Finance Advisor Dr. Shoeb Ahmed contacted the Embassy to ask us to encourage the parties to avoid violence. He said the Chief Advisor has yet to convene a meeting of all the advisors to discuss a course of action, accusing him of "dilly-dallying." Dr. Shoeb Ahmed suggested that referring the constitutional question whether elections must be held within 90 days to the Supreme Court for decision could provide a way out of the current impasse, assuming the court authorized/ordered a postponement of elections. BUTENIS