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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LA PAZ 000413 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA A/S SHANNON AND PDAS SHAPIRO 
STATE ALSO FOR WHA/AND 
NSC FOR DFISK 
USCINCSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI PHUM BL
SUBJECT: NATIONAL ELECTORAL COURT PRESIDENT TO RESIGN 
 
REF: A. LA PAZ 336 B. LA PAZ 409 
 
Classified By: Ambassador David N. Greenlee for reasons 1.4d and b. 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary: President of the National Electoral Court 
Oscar Hassenteufel told Poloff February 15 he was concerned 
about the government's seeming intention to control even 
autonomous Bolivian institutions -- and in particular to 
purge the Electoral Court and dominate the Constituent 
Assembly process.  He acknowledged he planned to step down 
soon, but mostly because reductions to his salary were such 
that it made no sense for him financially to continue 
working.   Going against the prevailing analysis, 
Hassenteufel speculated that the MAS would not fare as well 
in the election of assembly representatives as it did on 
December 18.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On February 15, Poloff met with President of the 
National Electoral Court Oscar Hassenteufel (protect) to get 
his views on the continued public pressure by MAS officials 
and deputies for Electoral Court leaders to step down. 
(According to February 14 press reports, MAS deputy Gustavo 
Torrico again accused electoral court officials of having 
fraudulently purged likely MAS voters from electoral rolls 
prior to the December 18 elections.  Echoing what they have 
told us in the past, court officials have responded that the 
purging of voter lists was done in a politically neutral 
process that began well before early general elections had 
even appeared on the agenda.  Many observers believe the MAS 
accusations are transparently political and without 
substance.  End Note.) 
 
¶3.  (C) Hassenteufel was plainly concerned by the MAS-led 
government's actions and intentions.  Pointing to the recent 
resignation of the head of the national road service, Jose 
Bakovic (after a barrage of so far unsupported corruption 
allegations levied against him by government officials, 
including President Morales), Hassenteufel said the 
government's top priority seemed to be to gain control of the 
range of Bolivian institutions, including those that were 
supposed to be autonomous.  In this connection, he noted that 
early speculation regarding the government's likely 
undemocratic intentions was being borne out by the facts. 
 
¶4.  (C) With respect to government-led attacks against the 
integrity of the electoral court, Hassenteufel told us that 
these appeared to reflect a strategy to purge the current 
court leadership and make way for pro-government 
replacements.  Such a situation, he averred, would give the 
government direct control over the institution that would 
shape the Constituent Assembly -- and therefore the ability 
to more fully control the assembly process (and result) 
itself.  He agreed that the government had appeared to 
subordinate all its other objectives, including day-to-day 
governing, to that of gaining control over the Constituent 
Assembly (ref A).  Asked about reported Venezuelan plans to 
help the Bolivian government provide official identity 
documents to the hundreds of thousands of Bolivians who lack 
them and who are therefore unable to vote (ref B), 
Hassenteufel said that approximately 250,000 Bolivians of 
voting age were in that situation, and one would have reason 
to worry should the Venezuelan-led program formalize the 
voting status of significantly more people than that. 
 
¶5.  (C) In response to a question about whether court 
representatives would depart in the face of government 
pressure, Hassenteufel said he planned to step down soon, but 
that financial considerations rather than political pressures 
were paramount in shaping his personal decision.  He 
explained that the cuts in his salary as a result of the 
government's planned austerity measures were such that 
continuing to work would no longer make sense, and could even 
cost him money -- given that pensions were based on a 
percentage of one's terminal salary.  Hassenteufel understood 
that others would have to make judgments based on their 
particular circumstances. 
 
LA PAZ 00000413  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6.  (C) Comment: Hassenteufel was less worried than most 
observers about the MAS's prospects in the election of 
Constituent Assembly representatives.  (Many point to the 
government's 75% approval ratings as evidence that it would 
win big were elections held today.)  He speculated that, 
particularly if Bolivia's political opposition found a way to 
unite against the common rival, the MAS would not fare as 
well in the assembly vote as it did on December 18. 
Hassenteufel's decision to step down (not yet made public), 
taken together with the earlier announcement of Supreme Court 
President Eduardo Rodriguez to leave his office March 1, will 
leave two of Bolivia's four branches of government with 
vacancies at the top.  End Comment. 
GREENLEE