VZCZCXRO9528
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHNEH RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAH #1617/01 3531117
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181117Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2010
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 4599
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2403
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2268
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 2847
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 3153
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001617 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/CEN; DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: OSCE AND UN ELECTION EXPERTS OBSERVE 
SMALL IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTION CONDUCT 
 
¶1.  (U)  Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for public Internet. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  During recent parliamentary elections, 
OSCE and UN election experts assessed election officials' 
observance of internationally-acknowledged election 
procedures.  They also did fact-finding about the candidates, 
the electoral process and the implementation of the new 
parliamentary election law.  While OSCE representatives were 
overall more negative in their election day observations, UN 
representatives acknowledged that the Turkmen government is 
making small steps forward on electoral reform.  Both believe 
there is still much work to be done.  Although not official 
observer missions, the two teams' visits gave Turkmen 
officials a first taste of what hosting Western observers 
would entail, and what such observers might expect of them. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
OBSERVERS HAD QUICK ACCREDITATION AND GOOD ACCESS 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  On December 15, both OSCE and UNDP election 
assessment experts shared their observations of official 
conduct on election day here.  OSCE experts said their 
experience on Sunday had gone relatively well, although there 
continue to be major obstacles to the OSCE sending an 
official team of election observers for future elections. 
OSCE/ODIHR representatives Gilles Saphy and Nikolai Vulchanov 
said the government accredited their team immediately upon 
arrival, which was a very good sign.  The team was also told 
they could go anywhere except detention and military 
facilities to do their work.  They were able to visit polling 
stations in at least three provinces. 
 
VAGUE CAMPAIGNS AND SOME IRREGULARITIES 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The OSCE experts were also able to attend campaign 
events before the elections.  Overall, they said the 
campaigns appeared to be very vague, and could identify no 
specific platform positions for the candidates, other than 
support for the president's policies.  During their travels, 
the experts also noted that while election officials at the 
polling stations had a good general understanding of election 
procedures, their understanding was much more limited on the 
specifics.  They also noticed that while government officials 
did not escort them between polling sites, each site had 
representatives from the MFA, provincial government and 
district overseeing their interactions with local 
representatives.  OSCE representatives also encountered 
strange irregularities along the way, such as the sudden 
appearance at closing time of six boxes filled with ballots 
that joined the primary one in a polling station they visited. 
 
OBSTACLES TO FUTURE OSCE OBSERVER MISSION 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The OSCE representatives said there are still 
several key issues that stand in the way of official OSCE 
observer missions coming here for future elections.  The 
revised election law, while a step in the right direction, 
did not include sufficient reforms to qualify for a more 
expanded OSCE participation.  For example, there was still no 
specific provision for multiple political parties, although 
multiple parties were not expressly forbidden.  The lack of 
separation between public unions and organizations and the 
central government was another problem, given associations' 
major role in advancing the nominations of almost all 
potential political candidates.  When they met with Foreign 
Minister Meredov during their visit, he argued that at this 
point in time, Turkmen citizens do not need plurality, they 
need unity.  Vulchanov said that their two meetings with 
Meredov made it clear to him that future cooperation between 
the Turkmen government and OSCE will continue to have clear 
and yet limited parameters. 
 
UN EXPERTS RECOGNIZED SMALL STEPS TOWARD DEMOCRACY 
 
 
ASHGABAT 00001617  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  The UN Election Assessment Team reported a similar 
experience during the elections, but generally opined that 
Turkmenistan is making small steps forward in the process of 
democratization.  On the positive side, the team saw many 
signs that UNDP's election procedure training had paid off, 
and officials were managing the technical details more 
effectively.  Although still strongly influenced by the 
traditions of the past, election officials told the team that 
this election felt different from previous elections, and 
that they were working hard to improve their procedures. 
Government officials told team members that they appreciated 
the electoral reform assistance they had received thus far, 
and wanted to continue with electoral project work.  The team 
told Charge that the UN was currently looking for new ways to 
promote progress here on democratization and pluralism, and 
for opportunities to discuss further concrete steps. 
 
VOTER TURNOUT FIGURES EXAGGERATED 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  On the other hand, the team was concerned by the 
turnout percentage the government reported, which was above 
94 percent.  The team saw that on one station's voter list 
near the end of the day, only about 30 percent of the names 
had been crossed off, making them doubtful about the turnout 
information reported.  The team also saw election workers at 
one station bring in an additional, full ballot box, just 
before the station closed.  When questioned about the box, 
the workers indicated that these were the votes of the sick 
and elderly who could not make it to the polls. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  Hosting these two groups before and 
during the election was a big step for Turkmen officials, who 
had never before hosted Western or UN groups and had no idea 
what their own responsibilities would be, much less the 
election experts.  It provided an impetus for election 
officials to do a good job and generated on-the-ground 
feedback about how to improve the electoral process.  Such 
commentary from experts who actually observed the elections 
might carry more weight with the Turkmen than criticism from 
overseas observers.  The presence of the experts also 
provided officials here with a first taste of what hosting an 
official election observer mission might entail, should that 
happen in the future.   END COMMENT. 
MILES