JAPAN TO MONITOR RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 000517 SIPDIS SIPDIS MOSCOW PASS VLADIVOSTOK HELSINKI PASS ST PETERSBURG VIENNA PASS OSCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2016 TAGS: PREL JA RU SUBJECT: JAPAN TO MONITOR RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reasons 1.4 (B) (D) ¶1. (C) Japanese observers will monitor the March 2 Russian presidential election at the invitation of the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC),Japanese Foreign Ministry and Russian Embassy diplomats informed Embassy Tokyo on February 27. The three-member delegation, consisting of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and one academic, will visit Russia from Feb. 28 to March 4. Russia Division Principal Deputy Director Kotaro Otsuki said the team will stay in Moscow, but have plans to visit a "suburban area." Asked why the CEC would invite Tokyo to observe the contest, Otsuki said that Russian officials praised a Japanese team that monitored the 2007 Duma election. ¶2. (C) Russian Embassy First Secretary Yurii Yuriev confirmed the CEC invitation, but noted that the team actually departed for Russia in mid-February. Yuriev did not know where the delegation would be stationed, but added that in accordance with "the principles of democracy which exist in my country, they can monitor anywhere they want." ¶3. (U) Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura told reporters on February 26 that the observers would monitor the election campaigns, voting and ballot counting to ensure the procedures are fair and democratic. A Foreign Ministry press release noted that Japan sent election monitors to Russia for the 1996 presidential election, as well as parliamentary contests in 1993, 1995, 1999, and 2007. Japanese Embassy diplomats also conducted monitoring activities for the 2000 presidential and 2003 Duma elections, according to the press release. SCHIEFFER