POLLING DAY PROGRESSES PEACEFULLY

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000434

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PINR PHUM MI
SUBJECT: POLLING DAY PROGRESSES PEACEFULLY

REF: A. 03 LILONGWE 1202


B. LILONGWE 404

C. LORD/SES-O EMAILS (5/20/04)

SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) In a calm and orderly fashion, Malawians turned out
to vote in Malawi's third democratic presidential and
parliamentary elections on May 20. A morning rush to the
polls led to an afternoon lull, with only a few reports of
minor violence. Persistent problems with the voters' roll
and voter transfers caused delays and resulted in some
legitimately registered voters not being allowed to vote.
Noting a generally good administration of the polls,
observers have questioned internal controls at some voting
centers. END SUMMARY.

SOME DELAYS AT OPENING
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2. (U) There have been reports that some centers were delayed
in opening at the scheduled 6:00 AM because officials were
not ready on time. By 8:00 AM, it appears that polling
stations were open and generally had all ballots and
materials necessary for administering the vote.

FEW REPORTS OF MINOR VIOLENCE
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3. (U) There have been a few reports of minor violence. In
Blantyre, a police officer and elections official were
reportedly beaten because a crowd of people waiting to vote
thought the ballot box had been filled with ballots before
the center opened. Electoral Commission investigations
revealed that the ballots in the box were unused and all
accounted for. Voting at the center began around 11:00 AM
and will extended until 11:00 PM.

WEAK INTERNAL CONTROLS AND PROBLEMS WITH VOTERS' ROLL
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4. (SBU) US Mission observers noted weak internal controls at
some voting centers. They found that some ballot boxes had
not been properly sealed and that not all control forms had
been filled out, both of which were supposed to be completed
during opening procedures. (NOTE: Without the properly
completed documentation, it will be difficult to verify that
voting boxes have not been tampered with.)


5. (SBU) Observers also noted that many registered voters
were not listed on the computerized voters' roll. Elections
officials consulted the 1999 register to find the missing
individuals, which created delays at many centers. When a
voter was not found on either roll, the person was not
allowed to vote. There has also been a great deal of
confusion about processing voter transfers. These problems
have frustrated and disenfranchised some legitimately
registered voters.


6. (SBU) In some centers, observers said, election officials
did not mark on the voters' roll which voters had voted, nor
did they indicate which voters were verified by use of the
1999 roll. This lack of record-keeping could result in
discrepancies between the number of ballots cast and the
actual number of voters.


7. (SBU) Other minor administrative hiccups have occurred,
mostly involving inadequate materials. The Malawi Electoral
Commission has reportedly been replenishing centers suffering
from shortages.

VOTER TURNOUT
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8. (U) After a morning rush at the polls, voting centers
were notably quieter in the afternoon. As of mid-afternoon,
observers report that around 50% of registered voters have
voted and that election officials are ready for a flurry of
last minute voters. (NOTE: In the 1999 presidential
elections, 92% of registered voters voted.)

COMMENT
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9. (SBU) Apart from expected disorganization at some centers
and the serious problems with the voters' roll, polling is
proceeding relatively well. The failure of many elections
officials to follow internal control procedures is of concern
as it could facilitate rigging.
DOUGHERTY