Embassy Begins Preparation for Elections 2009

UNCLAS CHISINAU 000085

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/UMB, DRL/AE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM MD
SUBJECT: Embassy Begins Preparation for Elections 2009

REFS: A. 07 Chisinau 1517 B. 07 Chisinau 1393


C. 07 Chisinau 1380

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.


1. (SBU) Summary: On January 22, Ambassador Kirby convened six
USAID implementers to discuss USG assistance in advance of the 2009
national parliamentary elections: political party organization,
campaign skills, training community activists, voter motivation and
education, long- and short-term observation, and administration of
elections. Discussion also included Mission assistance for the
March 16, 2008, Parliamentary Assembly elections in the autonomous
Gagauzia region. End summary.


2. (SBU) Present at the meeting was leadership from the local
offices of the National Democratic Institute, the International
Republican Institute, Eurasia Foundation, Academy for Educational
Development, American Bar Association/Rule of Law (ABA/ROL),and
IREX/Citizen Participation Project. Several participants were
concerned that the 2009 national elections would be hard fought and
that the ruling party would be tempted to use all means to retain
power. USG assistance implementers could begin now to address
political-party and electoral deficiencies: leftover Soviet
attitudes (especially top-down centralization in all parties and
voter passivity),poor political-party organization, overabundance
of political parties without distinct political platforms, ruling
Communist Party unhappiness with the 2007 local elections, and
uncertainty about changes to the electoral code. (See refs A and
C.)


3. (SBU) The implementers are planning to:

--assist parties which wish to merge to improve their organization
and address new legislation establishing vote thresholds and banning
electoral blocs. (See ref B);

--help parties structure polling to understand undecided-voters
preferences;

--train party workers and community activists in get-out-the-vote
and poll-watching efforts;

--help parties develop grass-roots local organizations (especially
for young people and women);

--train parties in the skills of retail politics (door-knocking,
voter mobilization, message-spreading and ongoing solicitation of
citizens' views; and

--train party workers in election laws and procedures, and
identification of violations.


4. (SBU) The Embassy's Democracy Commission will target grants
towards NGOs election-related activities. Embassy will also be able
to invite U.S. experts to provide training in areas the USAID
implementers cannot cover. The Embassy will coordinate USG
elections assistance, coordinate with other donors, and help monitor
political parties' activities during the electoral season.

KIRBY