CIS ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION IN TURKMENISTAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001592

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM TX
SUBJECT: CIS ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION IN TURKMENISTAN


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: A 40-member CIS election observation
mission will monitor the December 14 Parliamentary elections.
A group of six observers have been in Turkmenistan since
November 25 to view election preparations. The remaining
members, including many election officials from CIS
countries, will arrive a few days before the elections.
Preliminary impressions of the pre-election phase were
positive, with the Deputy Chief of the Mission noting that
the technical basis for the elections was largely in place.
According to the Deputy Chief, there was a diverse group of
candidates, including two candidates nominated by independent
groups of citizens. The CIS mission's role was to evaluate
the election's conformity with Turkmenistan's election laws.
The Deputy Chief expected a post-elections recommendation to
the Turkmen to regularize some inconsistencies between their
election laws, but otherwise thought their laws are
comparable with those of CIS countries. He characterized the
mission's role as to advise, not to judge. END SUMMARY.

FIRST CIS ELECTION MISSION IN TURKMENISTAN


2. (SBU) On December 5, poloff met with the Deputy Chief of
the CIS Election Observation Mission, Yevgeniy Sloboda, to
discuss the upcoming parliamentary election and the observer
mission's activities. CIS election observation missions
began in 2001 and work only within the CIS and only upon
invitation. This is the first time that there has been a CIS
election observation mission in Turkmenistan, which Sloboda
noted was a "voluntary government act that indicates a desire
to develop a democratic society."


3. (SBU) There will be 40 people in the CIS mission. After
the CIS Secretariat received the invitation from the GOTX, it
sent letters to the foreign ministries of CIS members, asking
them to send representatives as part of the observation
mission. The members of the mission were designated by the
respective governments, not by the CIS Secretariat. Among
the members of the mission are the chairpersons of the
Central Election Commissions (CEC) of Kazakhstan and
Tajikistan, the secretary of the Belarus CEC and members of
the CECs of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as
diplomats and parliamentary deputies from Uzbekistan, Belarus
and Russia and the Tajik ambassador accredited to
Turkmenistan. Sloboda emphasized the professional
qualifications of the observer team, consisting of
individuals who organize or participate in elections in their
respective home countries. The head of the observer mission
is CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS ARE POSITIVE


4. (SBU) A group of six observers arrived in Turkmenistan on
November 25 as "long-term observers." Their tasks included:
completing accreditation documentation for the mission;
evaluating election-related legislation in light of their
professional expertise; examining media coverage of the
election campaign; and visiting polling stations. The
remaining members of the mission will arrive two or three
days before election day and will be dispersed in groups of
six to all five provinces, focusing their efforts on the most
populous areas. On the morning of December 15, the CIS
mission will hold a press conference and release its
statement about the conduct of the elections. Sloboda said
they release the statement immediately following the election
in order to maximize its relevance.


5. (SBU) By way of initial impressions, Sloboda mentioned
that the observers have had completely open access. All
polling stations have posters and information about the
campaign. Provincial newspapers published biographies and
platforms of all candidates. The Turkmenistan CEC had
conducted training for all members of polling station
committees. The CIS observers had seen nothing to date that
violated Turkmenistan's Election Law.


6. (SBU) Sloboda commented that recent amendments to the

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Election Law had improved the law. The role of international
observers was strengthened. The number of electoral
districts was increased to 125, giving the legislative branch
a more important role. For the first time, Turkmen citizens
abroad will be able to vote at Turkmenistan's embassies.
Also for the first time, pre-trial detainees have been given
the right to vote.

CIS MISSION COMPARES CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS WITH LEGAL FRAMEWORK


7. (SBU) According to Sloboda, the CIS mission's goal is to
determine the extent to which the conduct of the elections is
consistent with Turkmenistan's Election Law. The CIS mission
does not play the role of comptroller, but rather serves as a
group of experts available to give advice on election issues.
They are "non-political" and adhere to the principle of
non-interference in internal affairs.


8. (SBU) By way of general observations, Sloboda said he had
seen a strong desire on the part of the Turkmenistan CEC to
conduct "good" elections. At this point, he had a positive
overall perspective about preparations for the election,
saying the technical basis for the elections is already in
place. Since it is the first time that the Turkmen have
invited foreign observers, they want to make a positive
impression, which Sloboda also considered to be a good sign
that elections would be well-run. He expected the observer
mission would make a recommendation to the GOTX to regularize
Turkmenistan's election laws, which he said sometimes have
contradictory provisions. Generally, he thought Turkmen
election laws were comparable with election laws of CIS
countries.


9. (SBU) The Turkmen Foreign Ministry provided the CIS
mission with candidate information, according to which 56 of
the candidates are women and ninety percent of candidates
have higher education. Sloboda said candidates represent all
sectors of "civil society" and there are either two or three
candidates for each seat. He also mentioned that the CIS
observers had encountered independent candidates, nominated
at the initiative of a group of citizens versus by a mass
organization, in two districts in Ashgabat, noting that while
the practice of independent candidacies was not widespread,
it nonetheless existed.

CIS APPLIES ITS OWN STANDARDS FOR DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS


10. (SBU) He mentioned that the CIS election missions
generally have good contacts with OSCE observers and that
they have a "gentleman's agreement" not to comment on each
other's findings. He stated the methodology used by CIS
election missions is "practically the same" as that used by
the OSCE. The standards applied by CIS missions are based on
the 2002 CIS Convention on Standards of Democratic Elections,
which is mandatory for all member states who have adopted it.
The key elements are secret ballot, non-discrimination and
free voting. Sloboda stressed the appropriateness of
conducting an election observation mission in Turkmenistan,
saying that the outcome of the elections could not be known
in advance. An on-the-ground presence is needed to see the
mentality, desire and responsibility of all the participants
in the electoral process.


11. (SBU) COMMENT: The deputy chief's comments about Turkmen
preparedness for the elections and the openness of Turkmen
election officials were consistent with observations by
Embassy reporting officers during provincial trips to observe
election preparations. It is likely that the post-election
CIS statement will be positive, given the CIS mission's focus
on the technical aspects of the elections. Sloboda
characterized the mission's role as to advise, not to judge.
As such, it will not challenge the Turkmen to improve their
elections' infrastructure in ways that would increase citizen
involvement and produce a more dynamic public policy debate.
END COMMENT.
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