WEST GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES READY, OPPOSITION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TBILISI 000829

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM GG
SUBJECT: WEST GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES READY, OPPOSITION
DUBIOUS BEFORE ELECTION


1. (SBU) Summary: POLOFF visited the city of Zugdidi in
Georgia's Western Samegrelo region for a pre-election visit
May 6-7. POLOFF met with regional government, the District
Election Commission (DEC),four political parties, NGOs and
journalists, and conducted an interview on free and fair
elections with local radio station Atenati. The local
Gamgebeli claimed that the pre-election period is normal,
with no problems. He told POLOFF that the authorities know
any intimidation or interference in the election process is
impermissible. The DEC Chair claimed to be fully prepared
for the elections. The ruling United National Movement (UNM)
regional representative also said things were going smoothly.
(He candidly explained UNM methods to get out the vote.)
Three opposition parties disagreed, and alleged they face
unfair local TV coverage and intimidation. The local NGO
coordinator claimed that her organization was trained and
ready. Local journalists agreed that only local radio
station Atenati was providing equal campaign coverage.
Poloff pointed out the importance that these elections be
free, fair and transparent in each meeting. He said each
organization had responsibility toward this end. Overall,
the region appeared well poised for the election, with fewer
areas of real concern than in January. End summary.

"All is Well" in Government, DEC
--------------


2. (SBU) On May 6, POLOFF met with local Gamgebeli (the
regional government administrator, hired by the city council)
Aleksander Kobalia in Zugdidi. Kobalia (whose father was an
MP who died the morning of May 7, and whose family owns the
local TV station, Odishi) claimed that the pre-election
period is normal, with no problems. He told POLOFF that he
and all authorities, including law enforcement, knew any
intimidation or interference in the election process is
impermissible. He claimed he understood the importance these
elections hold for Georgia, and that they must be free, fair,
and transparent.


3. (SBU) POLOFF next met Nana Okujava, the DEC Chairwoman for
Zugdidi district. She claimed everything was on schedule,
saying the DEC was well aware of its tasks and
responsibilities and all 13 commissioners were working
together toward a common goal of transparent elections. She
noted the district has 8 candidates vying for the
majoritarian seat and 12 political parties on the party list
ballot. Of the 105 precincts (PECs),only 5 had working
landlines for faxes and Okujava was unaware of additional
faxes. Consequently, she was planning to send the protocols
in from the DEC, and not directly from the precincts to the
Central Election Commission (CEC). (Note: USAID-funded
implementing partner IFES -- formerly known as the
International Foundation for Election Systems -- has
subsequently said that the CEC will provide GSM faxes to
nearly half the other precincts in the district. End note.)
Poloff stressed the importance that these elections be free,
fair and transparent. Okujava said she understood this.

UNM: It's a Family Affair
--------------


4. (SBU) POLOFF next met Lasha Damenia, head of the UNM in
Zugdidi. Damenia affably explained that the UNM feels quite
confident about their chances in the coming election. He
said their staff is largely unchanged since January. He
claimed there were some problems with the voters' list this
time, but their door-to-door campaign was successful. Having
collected family information and likely voting trends, the
UNM will now provide voters' lists to their party activists
at each PEC on Election Day. Starting at 3 PM, the party
members will consult with the PEC chairs throughout the rest
of the day to review the voting register and see who has not
yet voted. The party activists will then go to those people
who have not yet voted and offer them a ride to the PEC to
vote. POLOFF asked what the UNM does with those who seem
disinclined to vote for them. Damenia said they usually
approach several of that person's family members or friends,
and encourage them to persuade the undecided voter to vote
UNM. Damenia explained that a UNM supporter could say "maybe
you don't like this (UNM) candidate, but we're voting for him
and he's better than the rest. We think you should vote for
him too." (Comment: While not necessarily ethical, this
conduct does not violate the election code, unless the party
activists or chair interfere with the voting or tabulation
processes. End comment.)


5. (SBU) Damenia claimed that majoritarian candidate Koba
Davitashvili (the Joint Opposition candidate, not from
Zugdidi) could make problems if he did not win. Damenia said

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Koba only draws 4-5 people at each of his meetings. Damenia
gave Gocha Pipia (a former vodka-distiller and independent
incumbent MP) a better chance in the majoritarian race, but
said "he has not been seen in Zugdidi since he went to
Parliament four years ago." Damenia claimed the UNM
majoritarian candidate, Pridon Todua (a heart doctor, who
lived in Moscow for years and has some family ties and a
small clinic in Zugdidi),is the best candidate and very much
a local. Damenia acknowledged the importance of transparency
and fairness to the election and dismissed the likelihood of
anything else. POLOFF pointed out the responsibility of all
parties to not interfere with the election process.

The Opposition Disagrees
--------------


6. (SBU) On May 6, POLOFF also met with Temur Toloraia, the
local majoritarian candidate of Giorgi Targamadze's
Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM). (Note: Toloraia gained
some small fame as the lawyer who successfully sued to
reverse the government's decision to close the Zugdidi
market. End note.) He claimed his party had no access to
coverage on Odishi TV. Although they were priced out of the
market (all parties agreed the normal cost of 200 USD per
minute is now 600 USD),Toloraia said they would not be given
airtime even if they had money for ads. He said his campaign
motto is "Zugdidi without Clans," and that the Kobalia family
is the longtime face of clannish corruption in Zugdidi.
Toloraia also showed POLOFF a newspaper article in which UNM
candidate Todua was quoted as saying he "had not planned to
enter politics" and was doing it due to UNM prodding. Asked
what he would do after the election, Toloraia claimed "we
will win." Toloraia claimed his door-to-door campaign had
also discovered problems with the voters' list.


7. (SBU) On May 7, POLOFF met Republican majoritarian
candidate, and former judge, Nona Toloraia (no known relation
to Temur, above). She claimed that her party supporters were
experiencing intimidation at meetings, including by supposed
UNM supporters who are violently threatening her constituents
at their homes. She said that her door-to-door campaign had
revealed 600 dead persons on the voters' list, and 980 people
registered without addresses (Zugdidi district borders
Abkhazia, and some Gali residents have voted in Zugdidi
elections). Toloraia also complained about the
inaccessibility of placing ads on Odishi TV. She claimed the
UNM is planning to conduct voting carousels in the villages
(where few cameras are located). She appealed to
international observers to spend the entire day in one PEC,
saying "15 minutes in one PEC is not enough (to prevent
malfeasance)."


8. (SBU) Joint Opposition candidate Koba Davitashvili was not
present for a planned May 7 meeting, so POLOFF spoke with
Zviad Pipia, a party leader from Tbilisi. Pipia claimed
their supporters are scared due to pressure from local
authorities. He claimed the voters' lists were in bad shape,
with many IDPs included on them but not present in the
district. He alleged that teachers would be fired if they
were seen as supporting the opposition. Pipia claimed that
he and his party activists were shooting a video of the
pressure tactics and had reported intimidation to the police,
but had not yet received a response. Pipia alleged that they
too are blocked from Odishi TV and billboards, and only the
Georgian Public Broadcaster (in Tbilisi) would give them
airtime. Pipia claimed Davitashvili's campaign slogan is
"Not Violence -- Peace and Justice." Notably, one of the
Joint Opposition's DEC commissioners joined the meeting and
said that he had not had any problems at the DEC. POLOFF
told Pipia that the Embassy and international community is
holding all parties responsible for their actions and words.
We said violence has no place in the elections or in Georgian
society.

ISFED and the Media
--------------


9. (SBU) On May 7, POLOFF held a roundtable with local NGO
International Society for Free and Elections and Democracy
(ISFED) Regional Coordinator Miranda Meskhi, Radio Atenati
journalists, and other media representatives (including an
Odishi employee). Meskhi confirmed that she will have ISFED
observers at nearly all the PECs in Zugdidi. She agreed that
the DEC is well-prepared and was aware of all stages of the
DEC and PEC training plan. She attends all DEC sessions,
which she said are open. She claimed no opposition parties
have filed any claims with the DEC. The Radio Atenati
journalists detailed their USAID-funded IFES program, which
was carried over from the presidential election. The program

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provides equal airtime to each political party and dedicates
a significant amount of news each morning to the election.
They are also running a call-in program called "Right to
Vote," formatted around problems they see in the election.
All journalists agreed that Odishi TV is essentially blocking
any coverage of the opposition.


10. (U) On May 7, POLOFF conducted a taped interview with
Radio Atenati. He explained the importance of these
elections to Georgia, that they be free and fair, and that
violence is unacceptable in a democratic society. POLOFF
also mentioned that USAID is contributing millions of dollars
to elections assistance, and that Embassy and other
international observers are watching the elections closely.

Comment
--------------


11. (SBU) Overall, the Zugdidi district appeared to be in
decent shape heading into the election. The DECs lack of
awareness about the faxes appears to have been addressed.
The lack of access to local TV coverage and problems with the
voters' list appeared genuine and founded. The allegations
of intimidation, while difficult to prove, were consistent.
However, even these claims appeared less overt and frequent
than those during the January election.
TEFFT