KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FOCUS OF MEETING WITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BISHKEK 000331 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KG SUBJECT: KYRGYZ PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FOCUS OF MEETING WITH ELECTION COMMISSION REF: A. BISHKEK 195 ¶B. 08 BISHKEK 1017 BISHKEK 00000331 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: At an April 7 meeting hosted by the OSCE and attended by the Ambassador, Kyrgyz Central Election Commission Chairman Damir Lisovsky pledged that the July 23 Kyrgyz Presidential election would comply with international standards. Lisovsky indicated international and domestic observers would be permitted to observe the election, but questioned whether NDI and IRI would be eligible to sponsor field observers. He demurred when asked about observer accreditations procedures and said that details would be published within ten days. He cited a 2002 CIS Chisinau Convention as setting guidelines for the election, which he said were "similar" to more widely recognized OSCE standards. Lisovsky claimed the computerized "Shailoo" vote tabulation system would be operational and used for this election. An OSCE ODIHR team will conduct a needs assessment in late April. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, Head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Center in Bishkek, hosted Damir Lisovsky, Chairman of the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission (CEC),for an April 7 discussion with diplomats from OSCE member countries, USAID implementers, and a local NGO alliance regarding the July 23 Kyrgyz Presidential election. The Ambassador, accompanied by Emboff and a USAID representative, attended the meeting. Pledges and Reflections -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Tesoriere highlighted the importance of free and fair elections, and reminded attendees that the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) had issued a series of recommendations following the (flawed) 2007 Kyrgyz Parliamentary elections, which aimed to align Kyrgyz electoral procedures with the country's international commitments. Lisovsky pledged to oversee elections that complied with international standards, and his CEC colleague claimed that the CEC had fulfilled "most" of the ODIHR recommendations. Invitations Pending -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Lisovsky said the CEC planned to accredit international observers who receive invitations from the Kyrgyz President, Parliament, or CEC, "in the volume permitted." When the German Ambassador pressed for details, Lisovsky said that the CEC had not finalized invitation procedures and pledged that details would be published within ten days. Lisovsky added that the accreditation process would begin two months prior to the election and would end four days before the July 23 election. He was vague regarding accreditation for domestic Kyrgyz organizations as election observers. (Comment: A recently shelved legislative initiative would have restricted domestic NGO monitoring of elections, ref A. It is not clear if this legislation will be resurrected prior to the election. End comment.) A Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative outlined standards of conduct for international observers, and noted that foreign journalists who receive credentials would enjoy the same rights as local journalists. Setting Boundaries -------------- ¶5. (SBU) When Lisovsky declared that the election would be held in accordance with international standards, he cited, among other guidelines, a Commonwealth of Independent States convention signed in Chisinau in 2002. Although he could not BISHKEK 00000331 002.2 OF 003 describe the convention in detail, he said it was "similar" to OSCE standards. Lisovsky reviewed criteria Presidential candidates must meet, to include 15-year residency in the Kyrgyz Republic, "good" knowledge of the state language (Kyrgyz),and no foreign citizenship. A local activist challenged Lisovsky over CEC methodology for testing language skills. Lisovsky also said candidates must present signatures from 50,000 voters hailing from all regions of the country, and pledged that the CEC would review the signature lists within five days of submission. Addressing Past Problems -------------- ¶6. (SBU) When challenged about shortcomings in the 2007 Parliamentary elections, Lisovsky assured attendees that the "Shailoo" computerized vote tabulation system would be operational, and that observers would be protected. Another CEC representative asked meeting participants "not to associate the past with the future," a likely reference to previous flawed Kyrgyz elections. (Comment: In the 2007 Parliamentary election, the CEC claimed the Shailoo system was not functioning, and the CEC never reported results at the precinct level. End Comment.) ODIHR Team -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Another OSCE official, Dr. Oleg Semenenko, reviewed plans for an ODIHR evaluation mission to visit the Kyrgyz Republic April 22-25. The mission, he explained, would meet with government, media, NGO and other representatives, and would recommend whether ODIHR observation of the election would be "reasonable." Tesoriere tried to assure a curious CEC official that a "reasonable" determination is standard practice. Semenenko concluded that OSCE member states would likely be solicited for additional funding to support an ODIHR observation team. Election Assistance Options -------------- ¶8. (SBU) USAID implementers as well as Kyrgyz Alliance of Civic Organizations (ACO) members informed attendees of existing and potential activities relating to the Presidential election. IFES representative Dan Malinovich described training for 160 judges on adjudicating election disputes, and offered, pending funding availability, to expand this program. He suggested training an estimated 20,000 election commission members and possible voter education efforts. NDI's Scott Kearin discussed existing political party work, and mentioned possible poll watcher training and observation cooperation with the ACO. IRI's Peter Sondergaard noted planned public opinion polling and observer training. Lisovsky voiced surprise when IRI and NDI both mentioned the possibility of sending observers, and asked his CEC staff, "Can they do that?" The Ambassador heard staff members respond that "theoretically they could," but intimate that they could be stymied if the need was there to do so. ¶9. (SBU) ACO representatives said they already had 100 long-term observers working, and hoped to have observers at all polling sites. ACO suggested a joint conference with CEC for political parties and mass media on how the election will be conducted. In addition, ACO requested that future CEC meetings be open to the public. (Note: This one was open to journalists. End note.) Comment -------------- BISHKEK 00000331 003.2 OF 003 ¶10. (SBU) With media and representatives of OSCE member states like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Russia present, discussion was fairly limited. Although Lisovsky pledged that the CEC would ensure a fair campaign in accordance with international standards, past practice has not conformed to such standards. Lisovsky's predecessor, Klara Kabilova, who oversaw the flawed 2007 constitutional referendum and Parliamentary elections, in turn complained of political pressure on her before fleeing the country in the run-up to the October 2008 local elections (see Ref B). Although Kyrgyz authorities have revised other election-related procedures relatively quickly, to include eliminating the requirement for marking voters' thumbs with indelible ink after voting, the delays in finalizing procedures for election observers require continued scrutiny. GFOELLER