TBILISI ELECTION UPDATE, 12/12/07

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 003080

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/CARC AND EUR/DAS BRYZA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL GG
SUBJECT: TBILISI ELECTION UPDATE, 12/12/07

Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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Imedi to Begin Broadcasting on December 12
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1. (U) Imedi is due to begin broadcasting December 12 with
the Kronika program, beginning at 8 p.m. Tbilisi time. The
Imedi staff report that one entire control room at Imedi is
out of commission and phone and internet access was severely
damaged, with only 15 of their former 150 telephone lines
currently working. The general director is in London
purchasing needed equipment.


2. (U) Lewis Robertson, Imedi General Manager and CEO of News
Corp Caucasus, said the government has been responsive and
reasonable about paying for all of the damage, although some
minor details are being worked out. It is expected that the
agreement that has been worked out between the Prime Minister
and Imedi to pay for all damages will be signed around 5
January. Imedi is still concerned, however, that when it
re-applies for its license in April 2008, it will face some
challenges.

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CEC REPORTS ON ELECTION PREPARATIONS,
CANDIDATE IMMUNITY, BIPARTISANSHIP
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3. (U) Levan Tarkhnishvili, Chairman of the Central Election
Commission, briefed the diplomatic corps in Tbilisi on
December 10 in the company of 10 other members of the
Commission, including representatives of the opposition
parties. Tarkhnishvili said that the CEC's immediate goals
are to improve the quality of the voters' list, facilitate
credible election day registration for those voters who miss
the deadline for adding their names to the voters' list,
informing the public about voting procedures, registration of
foreign and domestic election observers and the media, and
providing election-related information in Armenian and Azeri
languages and for disabled and blind voters.


4. (U) The CEC is sending canvassers door to door to sign up
voters. Voters can check that they are properly registered
on the internet, by SMS or in person. Registration closes
December 12. After that, voters can register at the polls,
but only with presentation of a valid voter registration
card. The CEC is sponsoring advertisements that explain
voting procedures and tell voters where their home precincts
are. After the elections, the CEC intends to publish
preliminary results within 48 hours and final results in 3-5
days.


5. (U) Asked by a British lawyer whether the government would
grant immunity from criminal prosecution to all candidates
(which is of special interest to Badri Patarkatsishvili),
Tarkhnishvili refused to promise immunity categorically,
saying the decision did not entirely rest with him. (Note:
the election law states that a candidate shall not be
detained, arrested or searched without the consent of the
CEC, but makes no mention of continued investigation or
prosecutorial activity not involving arrest or detention.
Other Georgian officials have indicated that prosecutions of
candidates such as Patarkatsishvili or Shalva Natelashvili
would not be halted, although the candidates personally would
remain free during the campaign.)


6. (U) Asked about the atmosphere within the CEC, which for
the first time has members from the major opposition parties,
the opposition members said generally they are pleased with
their additional seats and that open discussion is the rule.
Tarkhnishvili said he was worried about how the system would
work, fearing the CEC's work would be overly politicized.
However, although there were disagreements, he felt the CEC
is "working in a normal way." The Labor Party member agreed
with Tarkhnishvili's assessment, but claimed that no
opposition party member has been chosen to head any of the
3500 or so Precinct Election Commissions.

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MOIA Addresses the Rumor Mill
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7. (U) Ekaterine Zguladze, Deputy Minister of Internal
Affairs (MOIA),sent a letter to Ambassador stating that MOIA
has established a special pre-election hotline. In her
letter she notes that the objective of this initiative is to
address all questions and queries that citizens have with
respect to police activities and violations of their
authority during pre-election activities. This move was in
response to a meeting between Minister of Internal Affairs

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Merabishvili and ambassadors last week.


8. (C) In a separate meeting on December 12 with Poloff,
Zguladze said the Acting President has established a council
made up of representatives from the different ministries to
address pre-election issues with the OSCE/ODIHR Election
Monitoring Team in twice weekly meetings. She plans to
address the issues of misuse of administrative resources,
rumors about opposition members being denied office space in
the regions, and rumors of police harassment. She stated
that the Georgian Election Code is quite specific about what
constitutes misuse. The Government will give the legal basis
for its reasoning to the ODIHR team. Zguladze said that the
Transparency International Report (released last week) is not
factual in this regard and standards other than the Georgian
Election Code are not lawful nor applicable. She refuted the
claim that opposition parties are being denied office space
in the regions by the majority. She said that the specific
incident which triggered the complaint was that the
opposition party chose office space where the National
Movement had already established residency, and an argument
ensued over how and where to display the party flags.
Zguladze said that the incident snow-balled into something
larger afterward. Zguldaze said the MOIA is investigating
actual instances of criminal abuse, but complained that few
have facts upon which to launch an investigation. Poloffs
urged the Government to stay in close contact with the ODIHR
team and to respond quickly to issues raised, including
especially the use of administrative resources and
allegations of harassment.


9. (C) Separately, Zguladze said the MOIA is investigating
approximately 30 policemen for use of excessive force during
the November 7 protest and that these investigations should
be complete by the end of December. Any findings in these
instances would result in administrative actions, such as
warnings, suspensions, or fines. She said the Prosecutor's
Office is pursuing additional criminal cases against
policemen. Of the three policemen who were seriously
wounded, one of the stabbing victims most likely will not be
able to return to police work. Poloffs urged the MOIA to
conclude the investigations quickly. When asked about MOIA
plans for any protests on January 6, she said she knew people
were discussing this issue. She worried that any protests on
January 6, would put police in the unenviable position of
being caught between pro-Saakashvili and pro-opposition
supporters.

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IDPs' Debts Written Off
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10. (U) The Georgian government has announced plans to
restructure electricity and natural gas debts owned by
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),mostly from Abkhazia,
who are living in collective centers. The electricity debt
covers the period 1999-March 2007 for those residing in
Tbilisi and 1999-July 2007 for those who reside in the
regions. The natural gas debt covers the period from
1999-March 2006. The total debt being written off is 50
million GEL.

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Presidential Candidates on the Move
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11. (U) The Presidential candidates are making their
presence known in Tbilisi and the regions. Below a recap of
their recent activities.

- Saakashvili, National Movement Candidate, held meetings in
the ethnic Azeri region of Kvemo Kartli to pledge his support
to address social problems in the minority regions.

- Natelashvili Labor Party Candidate, briefed the diplomatic
corps on his platform on December 11. He also met with
Russian Ambassador Kovlenko. In a separate meeting,
Natelashvili promised to return bank deposits bank to voters
which they lost after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

- Gachechiladze, United Opposition Candidate, visited the
Kakheti region in Eastern Georgia and familiarized locals
with his election platform. Gachechiladze has pledged that
he will ensure that the Russian embargo is lifted. This is a
particularly relevant issue to most in Kakheti, a region
where grapes are cultivated and harvested for wine export.

- Gamkrelidze, New Rights Candidate, met with members of the
society of the blind and has promised them an exemption from
land tax should he be elected.
TEFFT