KARIMOV GIVES SPEECH TO LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001935

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM UZ
SUBJECT: KARIMOV GIVES SPEECH TO LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY
CONGRESS

REF: A. TASHKENT 1932


B. TASHKENT 1877

C. TASHKENT 1843 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Poloff Tim Buckley for reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Summary. There were several press reports on November
7 confirming that the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan
(LDPU) formally nominated President Karimov as its candidate
for President, however there is still no formal indication
that he accepted the nomination. Karimov did personally
attend the party congress and delivered a speech in which he
stated the nomination "is a great honor" and "a big
responsibility for me". He also prefaced that his remarks
would focus on "future policies, tomorrow, and the fate of
the people of Uzbekistan" rather than on candidates. One
article noted that Karimov provided a definitive answer to an
LDPU participant's question about 2008 tax policy. This may
indicate that he intends to remain at the helm. Meanwhile,
it was reported that a rival party official also plans to
vote for Karimov. Post continues to watch for indications of
whether the GOU will address the issue of Constitutional term
limits before the November 11 deadline for establishing
candidates. End summary.


2. (C) The LDPU apparently moved the date of its congress
ahead by one day in order to maintain secrecy and invited
only party delegates and selected media. According to press
reports, the LDPU, the largest party in Uzbekistan,
unanimously decided to nominate President Karimov on November
6 (see reftel A). Karimov, who personally attended the party
congress, delivered a speech in which he thanked the LDPU
members for their trust. Although he did not officially
accept the nomination, he noted the nomination "is a great
honor" and "it is a big responsibility for me as well." He
further sidestepped whether he was accepting the nomination
by emphasizing that his remarks would focus on "future
policies, tomorrow, and the fate of the people of Uzbekistan"
rather than on candidates. News reports noted the speech was
identical to the definitive progress report previously
delivered to the August 30 joint meeting of the Cabinet of
Ministers, both chambers of Parliament, and the Apparat in
which he discussed accomplishments since independence and
future policy priorities.


3. (SBU) One LDPU delegate apparently asked Karimov a
question about a future tax rate, to which Karimov responded
that the single tax rate for entrepreneurs will be lowered
from the current 10 percent to eight percent next year. An
article in the independent uznews.net commented that this
definitive answer was a "slip of the tongue" by a person "who
is absolutely sure about his future and his place in it."


4. (SBU) A separate story in uznews.net, which is critical of
the GOU, reported that a member of the rival People's
Democratic Party of Uzbekistan told the media he planned to
vote for Karimov rather than the party's own candidate,
Asliddin Rustamov. The article quoted the unnamed party
official as saying Karimov "enjoys indisputable authority
among people" and that he "is a guarantor of stability for
many people."


5. (C) Comment: Karimov appears to be easing into the
election picture one step at a time, and his remarks to the
LDPU congress upon his nomination indicate he is indeed
accepting the nomination. An official confirmation of his
acceptance may follow once the news about the nomination has
been widely digested. As the November 11 deadline for
establishing the candidates fast approaches it is still
uncertain whether Karimov will directly address the
constitutional term limit issue or whether it will simply be
ignored. The emerging picture - no surprise - is that of a
carefully stage-managed election by a government determined
somehow to avoid the stinging international rebukes of past
ballots.

NORLAND