US embassy cable - 02HANOI1286

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001286 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, SOCI, VM, DPOL 
SUBJECT:  ELECTION DAY IN HANOI 
 
REF:  A.  HANOI 1250  B. HANOI 1199  C.  HANOI 997 
 
1.  (U)  SUMMARY.  AIDED BY UNRELENTING GOVERNMENT 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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EXHORTATIONS, VOTER TURNOUTS IN HANOI AND ELSEWHERE IN 
VIETNAM FOR THE MAY 19 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION WERE 
ALMOST "PERFECT," HOWEVER IMPROBABLE THAT SEEMS TO WESTERN 
OBSERVERS.  MOST VOTING WAS OVER BY 9 OR 10 A.M., ALTHOUGH 
POLLS WERE REQUIRED TO REMAIN OPEN UNTIL AT LEAST 5 P.M. 
MANY PEOPLE VOTED BY PROXY; OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE ABLE 
TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS FOR THEM BY USING THEIR VOTER CARDS, 
ALTHOUGH THIS IS TECHNICALLY AGAINST THE RULES.  RESULTS 
SHOULD BE AVAILABLE BY THE WEEKEND, BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE 
MUCH OF A CLIFFHANGER THAT NONG DUC MANH WILL WIN OR THAT 
COMMUNIST PARTY CANDIDATES WILL WIN BY A LANDSLIDE.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U)  ACCORDING TO AN OFFICIAL REPORT FROM THE CENTRAL 
ELECTORAL COUNCIL, 98.45 OF HANOI VOTERS TURNED UP AT THE 
POLLS FOR THE MAY 19 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS, BEATING 
THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF ABOUT 94 PCT.  THE FORMER CAPITAL OF 
HUE APPARENTLY LED THE NATION WITH AN AMAZING TURN-OUT OF 
99.97 PCT OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS, WITH DANANG FOLLOWING AT 99.73 
PCT. 
 
3.  (U)  TRYING BOTH TO MAKE THE DAY AS "FESTIVE" AS 
PROMISED AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TO "PERSUADE" PEOPLE TO GO VOTE, 
PUBLIC LOUDSPEAKERS WENT ON FULL BLAST AS SOON AS THE POLLS 
OPENED AT 7:00 A.M.  ALTERNATELY BLARING INVITATIONS TO 
VISIT THEIR LOCAL POLLING STATIONS AND PLAYING SONGS 
ASSOCIATED WITH HO CHI MINH (WHOSE BIRTHDAY THE NATION WAS 
ALSO CELEBRATING), THE CACOPHONY WAS UNAVOIDABLE IN THESE 
CITY STREETS (AS WELL AS OUR LIVING ROOMS).  THE BROADCASTS 
PETERED OUT IN MID-AFTERNOON.  AS THE DAY WORE ON, RADIO 
PROGRAMMING TURNED FROM THE ELECTION TO REMEMBRANCES OF 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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"UNCLE HO," AND LARGE CROWDS GATHERED IN FRONT OF HIS 
MAUSOLEUM. 
 
4.  (U)  POLOFFS TRAVELED AROUND THE CITY TO GAUGE PUBLIC 
ENTHUSIASM.  THERE WERE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF SMALL 
NEIGHBORHOOD POLLING STATIONS, SOME SET UP IN DISTRICT 
PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE OFFICES, OTHERS IN SCHOOLS, AND EVEN A 
FEW IN TEMPLES AND COMMUNAL HALLS.  THEY WERE BRIGHTLY 
DECORATED WITH RED BANNERS AS WELL AS PROMINENTLY PLACED 
POSTER BOARDS FEATURING THE CANDIDATES' RESUMES AND PHOTOS. 
CANDIDATES, INCLUDING CONSTITUENCY NUMBER 1'S NONG DUC MANH 
(BEST KNOWN AS GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF 
VIETNAM), WERE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (BY FIRST NAME). 
AT NONE OF THE POLLING STATIONS POLOFFS VISITED WERE THE 
ACTION PROGRAMS OR THE ASSETS DECLARATIONS OF THE CANDIDATES 
AVAILABLE.  SOME VOTERS DID SAY THAT THEY HAD READ THE 
ACTION PROGRAMS IN THE DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION, HOWEVER. 
 
5.  (U)  MOST PEOPLE WITH WHOM WE SPOKE SAID THAT THEY HAD 
BASED THEIR DECISION PRIMARILY ON THE RESUMES.  SOME FAVORED 
SENIOR OFFICIALS, WHILE OTHERS DECIDED TO VOTE FOR LESS 
PROMINENT PEOPLE IN THE HOPE OF GETTING A DELEGATE WHO TRULY 
HAD TIME TO REPRESENT THEM.  SOME PEOPLE SAID THAT THEY 
VOTED ONLY FOR THE YOUNGEST OF THE CANDIDATES IN ORDER TO 
PROMOTE THE "NEXT GENERATION" OF LEADERS. 
 
6.  (U)  MANY POLLING STATIONS HAD UNIVERSITY STUDENTS -- 
THE GIRLS IN TRADITIONAL AO DAI DRESSES, THE BOYS IN WHITE 
SHIRTS AND NECKTIES -- WORKING THE DESKS TO CHECK THE 
RECENTLY-ISSUED VOTER "CARDS" (ACTUALLY JUST A SMALL SLIP OF 
REGULAR WHITE PAPER WITH THE VOTER'S NAME AND AN OFFICIAL 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        HANOI  01286  01 OF 02  201032Z 
RED STAMP) AGAINST VOTER LISTS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.  EACH 
STATION ALSO HAD AT LEAST ONE GREEN-UNIFORMED SECURITY 
OFFICIAL (APPARENTLY NOT POLICE), WEARING A SPECIAL RED 
ARMBAND.  EVEN THE SECURITY PERSONNEL WELCOMED POLOFFS AND 
SEEMED PLEASED AT THE INTEREST BY FOREIGNERS IN THE 
ELECTION. 
 
7.  (U)  BY 10 A.M., WORKERS AT POLLING STATIONS WERE 
ALREADY TELLING POLOFFS THAT THEY WERE BASICALLY DONE, WITH 
ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WHO HAD YET TO VOTE.  THE PEAK 
VOTING HOUR WAS APPARENTLY AROUND 8 A.M.  ACCORDING TO MEDIA 
COVERAGE, MANY POLLING STATIONS WERE ABLE TO CLOSE UP AT 5 
P.M., THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE OFFICIAL CLOSING TIME 
(OTHERWISE, POLLS WERE TO REMAIN OPEN UNTIL 7 P.M.)  ONE 
ELECTION WORKER SAID THE DIFFERENT POLLING STATIONS WERE 
COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER ON WHO FINISHED THE EARLIEST. 
 
8.  (U)  RANDOM CHATS WITH VOTERS ALMOST UNIFORMLY PRODUCED 
AN "OF COURSE" WHEN ASKED IF THEY HAD VOTED YET.  SOME 
WORKING ON ELECTION DAY SAID THAT THEY HAD VOTED BEFORE 
GOING TO WORK.  MANY, HOWEVER, ADMITTED THAT THEY DID NOT 
THEMSELVES GO AND VOTE, AND BLITHELY CONFESSED THAT A 
FATHER, OR BROTHER, OR NEIGHBOR HAD TAKEN THEIR VOTER CARD 
AND VOTED ON THEIR BEHALF (REF B).  (THERE WAS NO 
REQUIREMENT AT THE POLLING STATIONS FOR VOTERS TO PRODUCE AN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ1357 
 
PAGE 01        HANOI  01286  02 OF 02  201032Z 
ACTION EAP-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  CIAE-00  DODE-00  DOEE-00 
      SRPP-00  DS-00    EB-00    ED-01    FBIE-00  UTED-00  VC-00 
      HHS-01   H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    LAB-01   L-00 
      VCE-00   AC-01    NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OIC-02   OMB-01   OPIC-01 
      PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00    SSO-00 
      STR-00   TEST-00  TRSE-00  USIE-00  IIP-00   PMB-00   DSCC-00 
      PRM-00   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /011W 
                  ------------------B0E127  201032Z /38 
O 201025Z MAY 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6529 
INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 
ASEAN COLLECTIVE 
AMEMBASSY BEIJING 
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 001286 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
 
IDENTIFICATION CARD OF ANY SORT, OR TO SIGN ONE'S NAME; THE 
NAMES ON THE VOTER LIST WERE MERELY CHECKED OFF WITH AN "X" 
AGAINST THE VOTER CARD.)  NO ONE SEEMED TO THINK THIS 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HANOI  01286  02 OF 02  201032Z 
PROCEDURE AT ALL UNUSUAL, ALTHOUGH IT IS APPARENTLY AGAINST 
OFFICIAL REGULATIONS.  MANY PEOPLE WITH WHOM POLOFFS SPOKE 
COULD NOT QUITE REMEMBER FOR WHOM THEY HAD JUST VOTED 
(EXCEPT FOR THOSE IN NONG DUC MANH'S DISTRICT), BUT OTHERS 
REMINDED POLOFFS THAT THEIR BALLOTS WERE MEANT TO BE 
"SECRET" AND SO THEY SHOULD NOT TELL US, ANYWAY. 
 
9.  (U)  COMMENT:  NOBODY HAD EXPECTED THE ELECTION TO BE 
MUCH OF A CLIFFHANGER.  STILL, HANOI VOTERS SEEMED TO TAKE 
TO HEART THEIR "DUTY" TO VOTE (WITH MANY EXPRESSING THE 
ERRONEOUS VIEW THAT VOTING IS LEGALLY MANDATORY), EVEN IF BY 
PROXY.  ONCE THE OFFICIAL RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE, EMBASSY 
WILL REPORT ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 
BUT OUR MONEY REMAINS ON THE RE-ELECTION OF NONG DUC MANH 
AND A LANDSLIDE FOR COMMUNIST PARTY CANDIDATES. 
BURGHARDT 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED