This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 KIEV 001136 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM PHUM RU
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: YUSHCHENKO ON ELECTIONS, COALITIONS 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador for reasons 1.4(a,b,d). 
 
¶1. (S) Summary:  In a March 23 meeting with Ambassador, 
President Yushchenko expressed confidence that problems in 
staffing polling stations would be fixed in time for the 
March 26 elections, but said that he would not sign a 
Rada-passed bill allowing citizens to be added to the voter 
list on election day, citing fraud concerns.  Yushchenko said 
he continued to seek a coalition with ex-PM Yuliya 
Tymoshenko, but thought that Tymoshenko was unwilling to cede 
the position of PM even if Our Ukraine garnered more votes 
than Tymoshenko's bloc (BYuT).  Yushchenko said he was trying 
to bolster the standing of pro-reform blocs of PORA-PRP and 
Orange Revolution ally Kostenko so as to have more allies in 
the new Rada and strengthen his position in coalition 
negotiations.  According to Yushchenko, Rada Speaker Lytvyn 
was being actively courted by the opposition Party of the 
Regions, and Russia was pressuring Lytvyn to support Regions. 
 End summary. 
 
Election administration problems fixed? 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (S) On March 23, three days before pivotal Rada 
(parliament) and local elections, Ambassador congratulated 
Yushchenko for the free and fair conduct of the election 
campaign thus far, but noted concern that polling station 
commissions (PSCs) were inadequately staffed and that 
inaccuracies remained in voter lists.  On PSCs, Yushchenko 
said he was aware of the situation and was confident it would 
be fixed soon.  Yushchenko stated that on March 17, 4900 PSCs 
were understaffed, but by March 20 only 96 were understaffed, 
and soon all PSCs would be adequately staffed.  Ambassador 
noted that the Rada passed a bill March 14 that would allow 
voters to be added to the voter list on election day with a 
court order and observed that it would be good if this bill 
were signed into law.  (Note:  This bill awaits Presidential 
signature.)  Yushchenko responded that he was not planning to 
sign the bill, because his experts said it could lead to 
electoral fraud.  Yushchenko offered as an example that 
someone could vote from a hospital via the mobile ballot box 
(note:  Ukrainian election law allows mobile balloting for 
the disabled and ill), then go to a judge and get a court 
order allowing that person to vote again at a regular polling 
station.  Yushchenko stated that this method accounted for 
200-300,000 fraudulent votes during the 2004 presidential 
election.  He observed that in many European countries, such 
as France, the voter list was closed 10 days prior to 
elections.  Yushchenko continued, noting that citizens could 
be added to the voter list by PSCs on election day.  (Note: 
Ukraine's election law, as we understand it, allows PSCs to 
fix minor discrepancies in voters' names, but not add their 
names.) 
 
Coalition with Tymo still in the air 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (S) When queried about possible coalitions after the 
election, Yushchenko misunderstood the question and thought 
Ambassador had urged him to seek a coalition with ex-Prime 
Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko.  Yushchenko sighed and said that 
he would try to form a coalition with her, but noted that 
during the past days and weeks the most criticism of his 
party was coming from Tymoshenko.  Yushchenko said that four 
or five days ago Tymoshenko met with Our Ukraine (OU) 
campaign chief Roman Bezsmertny.  When Ambassador noted that 
Tymoshenko had said both publicly and privately that if Our 
Ukraine received more votes than Bloc Yuliya Tymoshenko 
(BYuT) then she would forgo the Prime Minister position in a 
coalition, Yushchenko denied that she had expressed her 
willingness to cede the PM slot.  Yushchenko said that OU was 
trying to increase the number of votes for the reformist 
blocs of PORA-PRP and Yuri Kostenko, because if either of 
them made it into the Rada, it would strengthen OU's 
bargaining position in coalition negotiations. 
 
Lytvyn pulled toward Regions? 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (S) Yushchenko said that OU had been in talks with Rada 
Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, and that Lytvyn had confirmed 
agreements they made in the past, but that Lytvyn was coming 
under tremendous pressure.  Yushchenko stated that ex-PM 
Viktor Yanukovych's Party of the Regions was courting Lytvyn, 
and Russia was pushing Lytvyn to support Regions as well. 
Yushchenko offered that Lytvyn had lots of prominent figures 
in his party who would not get into the Rada if Lytvyn did 
poorly, and that these people were pulling Lytvyn toward 
Regions.  Yushchenko asked Ambassador if the U.S. could talk 
to Lytvyn and get him to reaffirm his support for OU. 
Ambassador responded that he could talk to Lytvyn, calling on 
him to support reform. 
 
Tymoshenko or Yanukovych? 
------------------------- 
¶5. (S) Returning to coalition negotiations with Tymoshenko, 
Ambassador observed that, while it would not be easy to sit 
down with Tymoshenko, the mathematics suggested strongly that 
Yushchenko would have to form a coalition with either 
Tymoshenko or Yanukovych.  Yushchenko replied that Yanukovych 
was pushing federation with Crimea and Donetsk, giving Russia 
exactly what it wanted.  Ambassador observed that Yushchenko 
had some difficult decisions ahead of him, to which Yuschenko 
nodded before turning to Transnistria (reftel). 
 
¶6. (S) Comment:  Yushchenko looked dispirited throughout the 
meeting, seeming not to have come to terms with his 
pre-election predicament, and does not appear to have a solid 
plan for post-election coalition building. 
 
¶7. (U) Visit Embassy Kiev's classified website: 
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. 
Herbst