OSCE/ODIHR ELECTION EXPERTS RECOMMEND OBSERVATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 000599 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CARC, EUR/ACE AND DRL; PLEASE PASS TO USAID E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM OSCE AJ SUBJECT: OSCE/ODIHR ELECTION EXPERTS RECOMMEND OBSERVATION MISSION BUT EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT PRE-ELECTION ENVIRONMENT REF: A. BAKU 524 ¶B. BAKU 454 Classified By: Ambassador Anne E. Derse per 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary: OSCE/ODIHR election experts conducted a needs assessment June 17-20, in preparation for Azerbaijan's October 15 presidential election. Although they were concerned by problems in the pre-election environment (particularly with regard to media freedom and freedom of assembly),they planned to recommend that ODIHR conduct a full-scale observation mission. They assessed Azerbaijan's amendments to the electoral code (ref a) as mixed. Changes to the complaints and appeals process were positive, as was the GOAJ's formalization of finger-inking procedures. They noted that the GOAJ's refusal to change the composition of election commissions was not in line with the Venice Commission's recommendations. The GOAJ's last-minute decision to shorten the campaign period, prohibit the posting of campaign materials and switch candidate free air-time from state-TV to Public TV could be problematic, given continuing difficulties in the media environment although some of these steps are consistent with standards prevalent in Europe. The ODIHR experts view management of the candidate registration process and implementation of the new law on freedom of assembly as key benchmarks of the GOAJ's commitment to a free and fair election. They also urged the GOAJ to reregister the Election Monitoring Center (EMC). OSCE member states urged ODIHR to remain engaged and deploy a robust observation mission. End summary. A RECOMMENDATION WITH A CAVEAT -------------- ¶2. (SBU) OSCE/ODIHR election experts Konrad Olszewski and Jonathan Stonestreet visited Baku June 17-20 for a needs assessment mission in preparation for Azerbaijan's October 15 presidential election. They will present their findings in a public report that will be released o/a June 30. In a June 20 briefing for OSCE member states, the ODIHR experts said they would recommend that ODIHR send a standard mission to observe the October presidential election. However, they expressed serious concerns about Azerbaijan's pre-election environment, particularly with respect to media freedom and freedom of assembly. The ODIHR assessment report likely will contain "diplomatic" language indicating that if there are serious problems in either of these areas, ODIHR could review its decision to observe the election. Olszewski stressed that the candidate registration process would be particularly important, noting that "if there is no competition (in the election),the added value of an observation mission is limited." The experts noted that ODIHR had not yet received a formal invitation to observe the election but that the Deputy Foreign Minister had indicated the invitation would be issued. ODIHR believes the invitation will not be issued until the GOAJ formally declares the election on August 1, in accordance with the amended electoral code. ELECTORAL CODE CHANGES -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The ODIHR experts, who participated in the Venice Commission's June 13-14 review of Azerbaijan's electoral code amendments, characterized the new legislation as containing both positive and negative elements. On the positive side, the GOAJ adopted all of the Venice Commission's recommendations regarding the election complaints and appeals process. Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Panahov told the Ambassador on June 25 that the CEC is beginning to formulate procedures to implement the new complaints and appeals process and would invite international experts to assist. If fully implemented, ODIHR believes these new procedures will strengthen the electoral process. The amended electoral code also formalized the finger-inking procedures first introduced in 2005, an important step towards increased transparency. ¶4. (C) On the negative side, the ODIHR experts noted that the GOAJ had rejected the OSCE and Venice Commission's recommendations to change the composition of the electoral commissions to ensure a more equitable balance among representatives of pro-government, opposition, and independent parties. Stonestreet privately expressed a great deal of frustration with the GOAJ's stance on this issue, noting that the GOAJ had flatly rejected ODIHR's compromise proposal to divide local commission chairs equally among ruling party, independent and opposition party members. The experts also expressed concern that the GOAJ had eliminated the candidate deposit requirement as part of the candidate registration process. In the experts' view, the financial deposit had provided a transparent alternative for candidates who may have faced problems (incorrect addresses, fraudulent signatures, court challenges, etc) in the collection of signatures. ¶5. (SBU) The experts also expressed concern about some of the "surprise" amendments to the electoral code that were introduced at the last-minute by ruling party MPs and had not been previously discussed with either the Venice Commission or ODIHR. While officially neutral on the new, shortened campaign period, they expressed concern that the shortened period could hinder candidates' abilities to reach voters particularly in light of the difficult media environment. They also expressed concern that the prohibition of campaign materials on public buildings - although common in some OSCE member states - would result in fewer opportunities for candidates to express their political views, particularly in light of problems in the media environment. The experts also questioned the GOAJ's decision to shift candidates' free air time from state-owned TV to the less widely viewed Public Television, noting that this decision would result in a smaller percentage of the population having access to candidates' campaign information. They said opposition and independent candidates had argued that Public Television reaches only 40 to 80 percent of the population, and that they had asked the National TV and Radio Council to clarify this issue. (CEC Chairman Panahov maintained that Public TV has wider coverage than state-owned AzTV; IREX states that coverage is slightly less but that Public TV has more viewers. More clarity is needed before we can determine if this change has serious implications.) The experts noted that, although some of these provisions are consistent with standards prevalent in Europe, given the pressures and restrictions faced by independent and opposition media, these "surprise" amendments could further tilt an already uneven playing field. They stressed that they would pay careful attention to implementation of these new provisions. ¶6. (SBU) The ODIHR experts also noted that, because the amended electoral code had not yet been signed into law by President Aliyev, the old electoral code still was in effect and, under that law, the candidate registration period already should have begun on June 15. They had raised this issue with Central Election Commission Chair Mazahir Panahov, who promised to alert the authorities immediately. Because the law had not yet been signed by the President, the ODIHR experts pointed out that the GOAJ still had an opportunity to address the new law's shortcomings. Stonestreet suggested that a presidential decision to restore free candidate air time on state-owned TV, for example, would send a strong signal of the GOAJ's commitment to a free and fair election, as would the re-registration of the Election Monitoring Center. (President Aliyev subsequently signed the electoral code amendments into law on June 23.) FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The ODIHR experts confirmed that the GOAJ had amended the law on freedom of assembly in accordance with recommendations made by the Venice Commission, and that the Venice Commission had assessed the amendments positively. However, the ODIHR experts said that they were "unable to establish the practical implications of the new law." Government officials themselves were unclear whether the new law contained a specific list of sites where public rallies would be permitted, or simply provided guidelines on area where rallies could not occur (e.g., within a specified distance from certain public buildings). The ODIHR experts that, at the moment, there is no indication that the GOAJ will allow election rallies to take place in downtown Baku. Under the Venice Commission recommendations, the GOAJ should identify two sites in each polling station where candidates are able to meet with voters. PROBLEMS IN THE PRE-ELECTION ENVIRONMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The ODIHR experts noted that continuing pressures on the independent and opposition media are of concern for the pre-election environment. Freedom of media, they said, is limited to a handful of opposition newspapers with very limited circulation of between 5,000 and 10,000. There is "no plurality of views" in the broadcast media. Although one TV station previously reported on the opposition's activities, "that no longer is true and there is a systemic absence of opposition views in the broadcast media." The experts said they had "conflicting information" regarding the independence of Public Television, with Public TV officials claiming that they provided regular political programming and opposition leaders claiming that they never had been invited to appear on Public TV. ¶9. (C) The ODIHR experts also expressed concern about the ability of domestic organizations to observe elections, a core obligation of OSCE member states. They raised the GOAJ's May 14 decision to deregister the Election Monitoring Center (EMC) (ref b) with officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Presidential Apparat. Although the Ministry of Justice repeated the formal grounds - inaccuracies in EMC's registration documents - Presidential Advisor Ali Hasanov told the ODIHR experts that EMC had been deregistered because it "receives funds from a foreign state." Stonestreet also privately told us that ODIHR Director Strohal had written to the Minister of Justice urging him to reregister EMC. URGING A ROBUST OBSERVATION MISSION -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Member states (including the U.S.),urged ODIHR to remain engaged and deploy a robust observer mission. They noted that Azerbaijan's domestic political situation is complex and merits more, not less, engagement by the international community. They also noted that comparisons with neighboring countries are very sensitive in Azerbaijan. They agreed that active engagement and "informed, ruthlessly objective analysis" is needed, and the international community should not prejudge the conduct or outcome of the election. Several OSCE member states pledged that they would continue to urge the GOAJ to implement the Venice Commission and ODIHR's election recommendations. COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) DRL A/S Kramer's June 26-27 visit presents an important opportunity to underscore with GOAJ officials the importance of a robust international and domestic observation mission. In their private comments to us, ODIHR officials asked that A/S Kramer consider raising the ODIHR invitation with senior GOAJ officials, adding that a strong public statement indicating that the GOAJ intends to invite ODIHR would be an important signal of the GOAJ's commitment to a free and fair election. They also repeated that they viewed the GOAJ's treatment of EMC as an important benchmark. Speedy reregistration, in their view, would be another strong signal of the GOAJ's commitment to a free and fair election, and they urged A/S Kramer to raise this case. DERSE