Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PORTAUPRINCE2781
2005-11-08 20:06:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Port Au Prince
Cable title:  

HAITI ID CARD PRINTING SLOW, DISTRIBUTION SLOWER

Tags:  PGOV PREL KDEM HA 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 002781 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR
DRL
S/CRS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM HA
SUBJECT: HAITI ID CARD PRINTING SLOW, DISTRIBUTION SLOWER


UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 002781

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR
DRL
S/CRS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM HA
SUBJECT: HAITI ID CARD PRINTING SLOW, DISTRIBUTION SLOWER



1. Summary: Over one million ID cards are now in Haiti, but
they are not being distributed in large numbers because the
Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) wants to wait until
voting centers are selected. Polling places are supposed to
be identified on the cards. Meanwhile, card printing is
behind schedule. Even though the printer has over one
million records on hand and a contract that stipulates it
must print 500,000 ID cards per week, it has never exceeded
350,000 and has printed an average 200,000 - 250,000 per
week. End Summary


2. Over one million ID cards have arrived in Haiti, but
distribution has not begun in earnest pending voting center
selection (reftel). The OAS started card distribution at
three former registration centers designated as voting
centers in downtown Port-au-Prince, but most of the ID cards
sit in the OAS election headquarters. The OAS distributed
cards for one day on October 21 at Place Jeremie, a square
just south of downtown Port-au-Prince in a heavily populated
neighborhood, but CEP member Pierre Richard Duchemin
instructed them to halt, ostensibly because Place Jeremie has
not been officially sanctioned as a polling site.


3. The OAS, MINUSTAH, and CEP blame each other for not
picking voting centers. Legally, the CEP is supposed to pick
voting centers with advice from MINUSTAH and the OAS. The
CEP originally agreed to 600 voting centers in consultation
with MINUSTAH, but later, under pressure from political
parties, announced that it would need 2000 voting centers.
MINUSTAH countered that it was only equipped to provide
security and logistical support to 800 centers, though
privately MINUSTAH elections officials say they could handle
up to 900 centers. After several fact-finding missions, the
CEP submitted a list of 1786 voting centers to MINUSTAH,
which MINUSTAH elections officials complained was simply
copied from the 2000 election list of voting centers, and now
out of date. According to MINUSTAH elections officials,
MINUSTAH submitted a list of 802 voting centers to the CEP
November 7 and expects to present the list to the members of
the CEP November 8.


4. OAS election chief Elizabeth Spehar reported October 28
that Digimarc, the ID card printing company printing Haitian
IDs has not fulfilled its contractual obligation to print
500,000 cards per week. Spehar said Digimarc had been
printing between 200,000 and 250,000 cards per week, but had
just started running its plant 24 hours per day and printed
350,000 cards the first week of November. However, CEP
Director General Jacques Bernard pointed out that even if
Digimarc could print 350,000 per week, it would finish its
printing run of roughly 3.4 million just before the December
18 first round, leaving no time to distribute cards. Spehar
said she had involved the OAS, legal department, which would
push Digimarc to meet its contract. Bernard, skeptical, said
he would send someone to monitor the printing process and
feed daily production reports back to Haiti. If Digimarc
fails to hit 500,000, Bernard said there are two options to
get the IDs printed: use other Digimarc facilities to finish
the printing or subcontract part of the printing to one of
Digimarc,s competitors.


5. Comment: ID cards are not necessary to the vote. The
voting sites will have photographs of all voters assigned to
them and the electoral law already allows voting with
registration receipts. Voters who do not have their receipts
could also conceivably vote with the document (or persons)
they used to register in conjunction with their photograph on
the voter rolls. However, widest possible distribution of ID
cards would increase voter turnout and confidence in the
electoral process. We continue to offer Bernard full USG
support in pressing Digimarc to meet the terms of its
contract.

CARNEY