VZCZCXRO9337
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPOD #0071/01 0841209
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251209Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY PODGORICA
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1222
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHPOD/AMEMBASSY PODGORICA 1310

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PODGORICA 000071 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MW
SUBJECT: MONTENEGRIN ELECTION CAMPAIGN: SOME IRREGULARITIES, BUT 
GENERALLY FREE AND FAIR (SO FAR) 
 
REF: PODGORICA 47 
 
PODGORICA 00000071  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  While noting certain irregularities, 
international observers assess that Montenegro's election 
process in advance of the March 29 parliamentary elections has 
so far been generally free and fair and is more or less on a par 
with last year's Presidential elections.  As in previous 
elections, opposition parties and a number of our own 
interlocutors have accused the GoM and ruling coalition of 
misusing state resources and pressuring state employees, and 
many complain of the ruling coalition's overwhelming financial 
advantage.  The OSCE/ODIHR mission thus far has not 
substantiated the more serious charges, but has identified a 
strong pro-Government bias by both state and private TV news. 
Nevertheless, opposition parties have been able to put out their 
message via TV and print media and many political rallies of 
varying sizes.  To date the overall campaign has been low-key 
and largely uneventful.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
Some Controversy Over Legislation 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) Despite initial controversy over the constitutionality of 
electoral legislation and suffrage eligibility (reftel), the 
election will be run according to the current election law.  The 
OSCE/ODIHR mission believes there is nothing in existing 
legislation that directly contradicts the Constitution or 
European norms.  The OSCE noted to us March 25, however, that it 
is disappointed that Montenegro has not rectified certain minor 
shortcomings identified in ODIHR's report on the 2008 
Presidential elections and will again call for them to be 
addressed after the upcoming elections.  The OSCE also notes, 
however, that the GoM has not contested the inclusion of 
thousands of pro-Serb voters in the voting rolls whose 
citizenship has not yet been regularized. 
 
 
 
Few Doubts About Election Day Vote 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) Domestic and international experts have expressed few 
concerns about the integrity of the vote on election day, as 
Montenegro's election administration and voting safeguards have 
earned good marks in past elections. In addition, OSCE/ODIHR 
also will field more than 100 short and long-term observers, who 
will be joined by approximately 500 local observers from the 
Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) NGO, which will also 
conduct a parallel vote tabulation (Note: CDT's election 
activities are funded by NDI). 
 
 
 
Campaign:  A Low-Key Affair... 
 
---------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Overall, the campaign is being conducted in a peaceful, 
low-key manner.  All participants but one minor Serb party 
signed a code of conduct and are generally abiding by it.  We 
have seen few reports of parties having problems arranging and 
holding meetings and rallies, and advertising is in evidence on 
TV, in print, and on billboards (although some opposition 
parties complain of having difficulty renting the last). 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) In terms of message, opposition parties are criticizing 
the GoM for poor performance and corruption.  In the face of the 
global economic crisis, all parties are focusing on improving 
the economy and quality of life, and all profess support for 
Montenegro's European aspirations.  A few (pro-Serb parties) 
have criticized the GoM's recognition of Kosovo and have seized 
on the 10th anniversary of the NATO intervention to criticize 
NATO and oppose the GOM's NATO aspirations.  The leading 
pro-Serb party ("Nova") on 3/24 even advocated for the 
disappearance of borders between Montenegro, Serbia, and 
Republika Srpska. 
 
 
 
...With Some Areas of Concern 
 
PODGORICA 00000071  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
---------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) Party representatives and a number of our interlocutors 
have raised several g concerns about the campaign.  Most, if not 
all, of these concerns have been raised in previous elections in 
Montenegro: 
 
 
 
--Lack of adequate financing:  Opposition representatives 
complain that the funding each party/coalition will get from the 
state budget (17,000 Euros) before election day, which was 
reduced by the coalition-led Parliament, is inadequate to cover 
campaign costs (and that many local activists have not seen any 
of this money).  They also charge that the DPS is flush with 
cash from rental of buildings to the government. 
 
 
 
--Abuse of state resources:  The opposition has charged that the 
GoM is using state vehicles and transport to campaign rallies. 
They also point to a sharp increase in infrastructure projects, 
and allege that DPS activists are promising voters jobs in state 
enterprises.  In another example, SNP officials in Rozaje told 
us that municipal officials (belonging to the ruling Democratic 
Party of Socialists (DPS)) had turned down their request to hold 
a rally at a local school on the grounds that political events 
should not be held in educational establishments.  They were 
furious to learn that the following night the DPS had hosted its 
own rally at the same school. 
 
 
 
--Pressure on State Employees:  We also have heard accusations 
from numerous sources that directors of state enterprises and 
institutions are intimidating workers into voting for the ruling 
coalition.  In response to several stories about pressure on 
schoolteachers, the Ministry of Education sent a letter to all 
school principals in Montenegro warning that such actions were 
illegal. 
 
 
 
--Illegal Purchase of IDs:  Opposition parties have claimed that 
the DPS has been purchasing or "renting" voters' identity 
documents in order to prevent them from voting, and possibly in 
order to photo sub the documents. 
 
 
 
--Bias in Broadcast Media:  The election law guarantees access 
to both free and paid TV time and print space, and state 
broadcaster RTCG has granted a predetermined amount of airtime 
to each registered party.  However, opposition representatives 
claim that the TV media is still slanted in its coverage toward 
the government and ruling coalition; they also have complained 
about the high price of some TV advertising. 
 
 
 
ODIHR:  Nothing Yet on Allegations... 
 
----------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Senior OSCE/ODIHR representatives have told us that the 
mission is aggressively investigating allegations of 
irregularities.  However, to date they have not turned up any 
hard evidence.  Regarding ID buying, the ODIHR representative 
noted that similar claims circulated widely during the 2008 
presidential election campaign, but were not substantiated. 
 
 
 
...But Definite Slant in TV News Coverage 
 
--------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) However, OSCE/ODIHR's chief media analyst told the 
diplomatic corps on March 17 that an analysis of Montenegro's 
six main channels had uncovered a strong bias in TV news 
coverage in favor of the GoM (and by extension, the ruling 
coalition).  Positive coverage of the activities of government 
ministers and officials dominated news coverage on all stations, 
including private ones, and was "well beyond what is 
 
PODGORICA 00000071  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
reasonable," the analyst said.  If anything, private channels 
were even more slanted towards the GoM/coalition. 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) Senior OSCE officials have told us that they see 
Montenegro's election process so far as "generally free and 
fair" and on a par with last year's Presidential elections. 
There is general confidence in the country's electoral 
administration, and significant election day fraud seems very 
unlikely.  Given the governing parties' huge lead in the polls, 
many observers have pointed out that the GoM has little 
incentive to try to skew the vote - particularly given 
international scrutiny in the wake of Montenegro's applications 
for the EU and MAP. 
 
 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  The allegations of ID buying and pressure on state 
employees have thus far been largely unsubstantiated, although 
we do not discount that the latter is occurring at some state 
institutions and companies.  More easily verifiable is the 
alleged use of state resources for electoral advantage - and 
here it is clear that the GoM has ratcheted up activities and 
projects in a significant way.  Also in evidence is the paucity 
of criticism of the government on TV news.  That said, outside 
of news segments, TV stations have devoted ample time to 
political talk shows and debates in which opposition viewpoints 
are heard.  Print media is also lively, as two of the three 
major dailies are critical of the GoM. 
 
 
 
¶11. (SBU) We also note that this campaign has been much more 
subdued and less emotional than previous races.  In part, this 
is due to the fact that emotions surrounding many big issues - 
independence, the Constitution, Kosovo recognition - have 
diminished.  Interlocutors also tell us that politicians and 
voters alike are suffering from election fatigue.  In addition, 
the flat feeling to the campaign is also attributable to the 
ruling coalition's overwhelming lead in the polls (over 50 
percent according to a survey published March 18), and the 
fractured, dispirited state of the opposition parties, several 
of whom have recently undergone bitter schisms. 
MOORE