VZCZCXRO1407
RR RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHCH #0267/01 0711151
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 111151Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY CHISINAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6408
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHISINAU 000267 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/11/2018 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PINR MD
SUBJECT:  Gagauzia Facing 3-Way Legislative Race on March 16 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Michael D. Kirby for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  A March 3 pre-electoral visit to Gagauzia found the 
administration still scrambling to solve the problem of funding the 
March 16 elections for the Gagauz People's Assembly.  Gagauz Governor 
(Bashkan) Mikhail Formuzal hoped to prove to the population that 
Gagauzia could solve its problems with out the Communist Party 
(PCRM), while charging that Chisinau wanted him to fail.  Comrat 
Mayor Nicolai Dodoglu spoke at length about his rivalry with 
Formuzal, complaining that their split strengthened the hand of the 
Communist Party.  The Central Electoral Commission is mostly 
concerned about funding, and whether the money would be found in time 
for the elections. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) In a pre-election visit to Gagauzia on March 3, Ambassador 
Kirby met with Bashkan Formuzal, Mayor Dodoglu, Central Electoral 
Commission Chief Pyotr Ivanov, and representatives of civil society. 
These interlocutors described a three-way race for the upcoming 
parliamentary elections on March 16, between supporters of Formuzal, 
Dodoglu and the Communist Party, while predicting a weakening of 
support for the Communists. 
 
Formuzal Thinks Central Government Wants Him to Fail 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶3. (C) Gagauzia's leader, Bashkan Mikhail Formuzal, assured the 
Ambassador that funding would be found to carry out the March 16 
elections.  He told the Ambassador that his aim was to show the 
population that Gagauzia could resolve its problems with the 
Communists and with Chisinau.  Formuzal said that since his election 
he had provided political stability, managed the budget and carried 
out real reform.  He praised his own successes, noting that even 
non-Gagauz villages in the Vulcanesti area were asking to become part 
of Gagauzia. 
 
¶4. (C) However, Formuzal complained that the leadership in Chisinau 
viewed him as an enemy to be destroyed.  Formuzal believed his 
effective leadership was dangerous to the Communist Party.  Chisinau, 
Formuzal noted, created situations designed to make him look bad, 
such as not permitting Russia's humanitarian aid to be delivered to 
Comrat. 
 
¶5. (C) Formuzal complained that the central government was trying to 
make him responsible for debt that he had not created.  They wanted 
him to repay 28 million lei (USD 2.5 million) of 2006 debt accrued 
under the previous governor.  The Bashkan claimed that the Ministry 
of Finance wanted to paralyze the Gagauz leadership by taking 28 
million lei from its current budget to pay the debt rather than 
letting Gagauzia pay it back over time. 
 
¶6. (C) Formuzal reported that Chisinau was actively campaigning in 
support of the PCRM candidates, using central government resources to 
build support.  Ministers and other government figures were 
campaigning for PCRM candidates.  Formuzal predicted that the 
Communists would win a minority share of the vote, and thus lose 
control the Gagauz parliament.  He expected a parliament of largely 
independent candidates among whom he would have to form a working 
majority. 
 
Dodoglu Focused on his Rivalry against Formuzal 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶7. (C) Comrat Mayor Dodoglu described the parliamentary elections as 
a three-way race between himself, the Bashkan, and the communists. 
According to Dodoglu, thirty of the candidates (out of a total of 160 
in 35 constituencies) supported him.  He expected that at least fifty 
percent of the population would participate in the elections. 
 
¶8. (C) Dodoglu criticized the way Formuzal handled relations between 
the two, starting immediately after the December 2006 Bashkan 
elections.  Dodoglu had, he said, swallowed his pride to congratulate 
his rival, but Formuzal had not even invited him to the inauguration. 
 A bitter Dodoglu complained that Formuzal had isolated himself and 
could not get a majority.  He lamented that the Gagauz government did 
not represent all of Gagauzia. 
 
¶9. (C) Dodoglu confirmed that President Voronin, Speaker Lupu and 
various deputies visited Gagauzia regularly to support PCRM 
candidates, and argued that the split between Formuzal and Dodoglu 
strengthened their hand.  Dodoglu believed that the population was 
disappointed with Formuzal's leadership.  Instead of fighting the 
Communists, Formuzal was busy fighting Dodoglu. 
 
CEC Still Needs Funding 
----------------------- 
 
¶10. (C) Central Electoral Commission Chairman Pyotr Ivanov focused 
predominantly on his problems in securing necessary funding for the 
elections.  He said that the CEC had received 800,000 of the 
1,200,000 lei needed for the conduct of the elections (600,000 from 
the People's Assembly and 200,000 from the Gagauz executive branch). 
Money still was needed to pay the salaries of the CEC members and for 
 
CHISINAU 00000267  002 OF 002 
 
 
electoral workers.  Ivanov said that the CEC was printing ballots, 
but had insufficient money to pay for all the ballots. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. (C) The key political issue at stake in the upcoming Gagauz 
parliamentary elections is whether the Communists will retain their 
hold on the Gagauz People's Assembly.  The rivalry between Formuzal 
and Dodoglu is not ideological, but instead represents a difference 
in personalities.  Civil society representatives believed that the 
PCRM's popularity was dropping in Gagauzia.  If Formuzal's supporters 
do not win a majority in the parliament, Formuzal's challenge will be 
to build a working coalition with Dodoglu supporters or a modus 
vivendi with the PCRM.  End Comment. 
 
KIRBY