Public and press reaction to Zatlers' election

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIGA 000463 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL LG SUBJECT: Public and press reaction to Zatlers' election ¶1. (U) Summary: The reaction of the media and general public to Valdis Zatlers' election as president has been predominantly negative and rather emotional, though some commentators have remained neutral and called on others to give the new president time to prove his independence and skills. The ruling coalition, the National Association of Doctors and the Chernobyl Association have been the main supporters of the new president, who previously headed of the National Orthopedic and Trauma Hospital. The biggest Latvian daily newspaper Diena, representing Latvia's liberal circles, and the NGO "Delna", Latvia's branch of Transparency International, have been among the sharpest critics. A lack of transparency in the selection procedure and the perceived inability of the ruling coalition to provide sound arguments on why Zatlers was the best candidate have been the prime targets of criticism. Zatlers' confession that he had accepted "gratitude" money from patients, and failed to pay taxes on that income, has contributed to the general negative reaction towards his election. End summary. ¶2. (U) Since Valdis Zatlers' election by the Saeima (parliament) on May 31, the general public reaction can be characterized by indifference at best to outright hostility at worst. The mass media, in particular the daily Diena and the prominent news program "Panorama", have been the main critics of Zatlers since the election, just as they were in the run up. In Zatlers' press conference immediately following his election, Diena journalists kept asking about the morality of a president who "does not pay taxes", prompting a testy exchange in which Zatlers responded that "freedom of the press is not impunity". A regular refrain in these media sources has been that "Zatlers is a good doctor; however, he does not have any competence in political affairs and thus could be dependant on those who nominated him". ¶3. (U) News outlets more favorable to the government such as Latvijas Avize (a rural paper) and Neatkariga (a paper affiliated with the business interests of jailed Venspils mayor Aivars Lembergs) have been more supportive. Neatkariga mainly echoed views of the coalition party and avoided publishing any critical statements on Zatlers. The newspaper stressed that Zatlers has not been involved in any political party (outgoing President Vaira Vike-Freiberga previously noted that in Latvia's situation it would �A;be better if the next president is not a member of any party) and focused on records of his high-level professional and administrative skills, as well as character traits needed for a doctor, particularly a surgeon: decisiveness, responsibility for his actions and humanity. The newspaper highly doubted the results of the opinion poll carried out just before the presidential elections which indicated very strong support for the second candidate, Aivars Endzins. Latvijas Avize did not openly side with either candidate, however, the majority of the published letters from its readers, as well as a phone survey or readers, were in support of Endzins. ¶4. (U) Local Russian language media seems to be more supportive of Zatlers and has even reproached elements of the Latvian media for running a "slander campaign" against him. The tolerant attitude of the Russian press is interesting in that public statements made by Zatlers indicate that he is quite conservative on ethnically-sensitive issues in Latvia; most notably that he believes that Latvian non-citizens should not be granted voting rights in municipal elections and believes that no minority faces discrimination in Latvia. Those positions, usually antithetical to the Russian press, seem to be overshadowed by Zatlers' willingness to speak Russian in public (Vike-Freiberga does not speak Russian) and the fact that he was one of the first doctors who went to Chernobyl to deal with the consequences of that catastrophe. ¶5. (U) Opinion makers have been mixed in their reviews of Zatlers. Elite commentators have generally taken the view that Zatlers' election has deepened the gap between the majority of public and the government, since he seemed to have very little public support before the election. Some commentators, however, have tried to present a balanced analysis of the situation and called on the public to give Zatlers time to prove his independence. Journalist Juris Rozenvalds noted that "the community has to accept and respect the new President ... as he was elected democratically - criticism and protests will only damage the political system in Latvia". European Court of Justice Judge Egils Levits, who was among those rumored to be a potential presidential candidate, voiced his hope that the new president will carry out his duties with dignity and noted that the people should give him "some trust credit" in his new position. ¶6. (U) Comments by representatives in other fields do not contain much in-depth analysis, though some show concern. Andris Strazds, lecturer at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, noted that Zatlers has failed to demonstrate a good understanding of key economic issues, but that he hopes the President will manage to formulate responses to the main issues affecting the economy. Philosopher Artis Svece stated "I am concerned that Zatlers is having to learn fast, though not just about foreign and domestic policies, but also the style and argumentation used by our politicians. He has become similar to (Prime Minsiter) Kalvitis and (Interior Minister) Godmanis [key members of the ruling coalition] too quickly". Aivis Ronis, Chair of the Latvia-American Financial RIGA 00000463 002 OF 002 Forum and former Ambassador to Washington, added that the truth is that Zatlers agreed when he was called "a compromise of parties' ambitions". Guntis Ulmanis, Latvia's first president after the country regained independence in 1991, congratulated Zatlers just after his election, though days later remarked publicly that Zatlers' election marked the highest peak of the government's cynical attitude towards Latvia's people and their will. ¶7. (U) After the election, a majority of opposition lawmakers demonstrated their respect for the choice of the Saeima (parliament). Leader of the political party Harmony Center (SC), Nils Usakovs, which nominated Aivars Endznis to run against Zatlers, stated that he respects the Saeima's decision and hopes that Zatlers will be a good head of the country. However, the former leader of New Era (JL),Einars Repse, did not stand up to congratulate the new president. He later said "I did not feel any joy to get on my feet" when the Saeima announced the election results. ¶8. (U) The biggest opponents outside of government have been Latvian NGOs, particularly "Delna", the Latvian branch of the Transparency International, and "Providus". Providus expert Valts Kalnins voiced concern about what he termed Zatlers' "political incompetence." "Mr. Zatlers is searching in the dark [in the discussion about various legal issues]. He simply does not know many things". "Delna", for it's part, staged a protest meeting against Zatlers on election day at the Saeima. It must be noted, though, that two non-governmental organizations - the Chernobyl Association (a group providing assistance to survivors and family members of that accident) and the Association of Doctors - did support Zatlers. ¶9. (U) Comment: Various polls before the election showed that the majority of people supported Aivars Endzins, presidential candidate of the opposition party SC. There have been no public polls post-election on support for Zatlers, but apart from the coalition parties, few seem enthusiastic about the new president. It is clear that the early period of his presidency will be carefully scrutinized and that he will have to make great efforts to gain acceptance among Latvia's liberal circles. End comment. Bailey