MALDIVES: BOUCHER VISITS MALDIVES FOR FIRST BIG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000765 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY FOR JEAN-PAUL DUVIVIER E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL MV SUBJECT: MALDIVES: BOUCHER VISITS MALDIVES FOR FIRST BIG STEP TOWARDS ELECTIONS REF: COLOMBO 744 Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher visited Male August 6, a day before President Gayoom signed the new constitution (ref A) which provides the legal framework for the first multi-party presidential elections in Maldives' history. President Gayoom, his ministers, the Opposition and the nongovernmental community all highlighted the tight timeframe the government faces to stand up the required independent bodies and conduct two rounds of voting by the constitution's October 10th deadline. Some members of the opposition and nongovernmental representatives expressed concerns that the timeframe would make holding a free and fair election impossible. Nevertheless, ministers, the Opposition and others welcomed assistance by the international community as Maldives enters the final stages of its five-year long path towards democracy. Boucher's meetings with the Finance and Defense Ministers and the Police Commissioner highlighted the economic, drug and extremist challenges the government faces as well. End Summary Constitution Signed: Supreme Court and Election Commission Establishment Next -------------- --- ¶2. (C) On August 6, a day before ratification and entry into force of the new constitution, President Gayoom and several government ministers outlined to visiting Assistant Secretary Boucher numerous pieces of legislation that Parliament needed to pass to meet the October 10 deadline for the selection of the next President. Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid stated that "many many changes will take place" in the coming weeks, noting that four ministers had resigned just that morning to comply with the new constitutional regulation prohibiting ministers from having business interests. All agreed that the most important next steps are establishment of a politically independent Election Commission and Supreme Court to oversee the vote and adjudicate any disputes that arise from the results. Boucher asked his interlocutors to assess the level of cross-party cooperation in Parliament to accomplish these tasks, since nominations to both require two-thirds majority support. (Note: the President's party has only a slight majority in Parliament). Assessments varied; Defense Minister Ismail Shafeeu called cooperation "mixed;" Shahid worried that in such a small society it would be hard to identify figures who were viewed as independent by all the parties; President Gayoom claimed cooperation across party lines was occurring to "a great extent;" members of the Opposition expressed cautious optimism that they would be able to reach consensus on who would receive nominations to the Election Commission. ¶3. (C) Boucher stressed in his public comments and to the President directly that getting these independent bodies right was very important and they, not a single election, were the long-term guarantors of a a healthy democracy. Police Commissioner Adam Zahir assured Boucher that the Police would follow whatever regulations the Election Commission established for the vote. Some Opposition Members and NGO Representatives Express Concern that Tight Timeframe May Prevent Free and Fair Vote -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Members of the multi-party Opposition National Unity Alliance urged Boucher to send international observers, and intercede with the government if necessary, to ensure a free and fair election. Some members, particularly Male parliamentarian and Social Liberal Pary Presidential candidate Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) highlighted concerns that the COLOMBO 00000765 002 OF 003 delays in the constitutional ratification process (the President was originally supposed to sign the constitution in March) had so compacted the election schedule that the very fairness of the vote was now in question. Since there will likely be two rounds of the election, and subsequent time allotted for any court challenges, members of the Opposition told us September 14 was the latest possible date to hold the first round of voting. Opposition members noted that media coverage was heavily tilted in the government's favor, with only fifteen minutes of TV time given to each opposition party twice a week. Despite this, they acknowledged the media does devote coverage to the election and to opposition candidates. Maldivian Democratic Party representatives thanked Ambassador Blake for his intervention earlier this year, which they said ensured that their party was covered by TV. ¶5. (C) Opinions within the Opposition were mixed on whether the compacted schedule so undermined the possibility of a free and fair vote that the October 10 deadline should be pushed back. Some opposition representatives expressed concern that Maldives' patriarchal society left open the possibility that individual island chiefs who had only known Gayoom as their leader would use their influence to undermine a free vote. In a separate meeting, members of Transparency Maldives and other nongovernmental organizations working on the elections briefed Boucher on public education campaigns already underway. These groups are also in the process of verifying the voter registry but complained that they have too little time to certify its accuracy. With funding from EU countries, Transparency Maldives is also setting up an on-line complaint database to which Maldivians can text message their reports. High Deficit Forces Government to Cut Spending -------------- - ¶6. (C) New Finance Minister Abdullah Jihaad outlined a $317 million projected fiscal deficit, due in part to a gap in expected revenue because of three mega projects being delayed by a year. (Note: Jihaad's predecessor, former Finance Minister Gasim Ibrahim, resigned from the post July 10 and has now announced his membership in the opposition Republican Party. Many observers expect Gasim, one of Maldives' richest men, to run as the Republican Party's Presidential nominee.) Jihaad also highlighted a growing current account deficit, which he attributed to worldwide high oil and food prices. He noted that the trade imbalance was having an impact on the country's foreign currency reserves. In order to deal with its budget crunch and the deteriorating foreign exchange position, the government is exploring leasing out five additional islands for resort development, lengthening the term of the leases from 30 years to 99 years to attract more investors. Boucher urged the Minister to look into alternative energy sources to help lessen the impact of imported oil, highlighting the U.S. pilot project to bring wind power to three islands. President Gayoom mentioned that in order to offset high energy costs, one resort is now pumping deep ocean water to cool hotel rooms instead of using traditional air conditioning. ¶7. (C) Jihaad also asked for assistance from the U.S. for the Government's financial intelligence unit, reporting that he had been told by the U.S. Treasury Department that no money was available. Boucher asked the Minister to forward a written proposal for consideration in Washington. Extremism and Narcotics Concerns Also Raised -------------- ¶8. (C) Defense Minister Shareeu, Police Commissioner Zahir and Foreign Minister Shahid all reported that the network COLOMBO 00000765 003 OF 003 behind the 2007 Male park bombing was part of a larger international network of extremists. They noted that those who were apprehended at the airport after the bombing at the airport in Colombo all intended to flee to Pakistan. Other conspirators had gotten away to Pakistan before the bombing; however, the Pakistanis had provided little help in tracking down the remaining suspects, they said. Shahid, stating that "democracy can cause shaky ground", said that extremists might try to take advantage of instability in the current transition. He urged the U.S. to judge the Maldives' election by a reasonable standard, since so much of the wide reform program breaks new ground for Maldives. Zahir reported that extremists are a higher concern for him than any election-related violence. He expressed concern that another bombing might be in the works. He claimed that government plans to reach out to centers of religious conservatism in Maldives had been stymied by resistance on the part of some in Parliament. Zahir and Shafeeu admitted that heroin addiction, and to a lesser extent hashish trafficking, remained significant problems in Maldives. Dubai and other points in the Gulf had been used as transit points in the past. Shafeeu stressed the difficulty in controlling access to and through Maldives' territorial waters, with limited Coast Guard capabilities available. ¶9. (C) COMMENT: The August 7 ratification of the Constitution is the most significant milestone so far in Maldives' democratic transition. However, many still harbor doubts about Gayoom's willingness to cede power if he believes he may lose. In his meeting with Boucher, he said he looked forward to hosting the SAARC Summit next year -- leaving little room for doubt that he expected to continue in office. Gayoom may have embarked on this process of democratization believing he could not lose an election. However, with private opposition-sponsored polls showing his vote share in the first round in the low 30s, it looks increasingly likely that no one will receive 50% of the vote necessary to avoid a runoff. We think it likely that the majority of anti-Gayoom voters will coalesce around whichever Opposition candidate makes it to the second round. Maldivians both within and outside the government continue to look to the international community, and the United States in particular, for help in carrying out their democratic development. A robust domestic observation program, with support from international observers - including from the U.S. Embassy in Colombo - will be critical to ensuring the election is as free as possible. End Comment BLAKE