COTE D'IVOIRE: ELECTORAL COMMISSION DEADLOCK IS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABIDJAN 000261

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

KINSHASA PASS TO BRAZZAVILLE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2016
TAGS: PGOVE PREL ASEC IV
SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: ELECTORAL COMMISSION DEADLOCK IS
BROKEN

REF: ABIDJAN 228

Classified By: POL/ECON Jim Wojtasiewicz, reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (U) On March 7, the outgoing executive board of the
Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) met with the incoming
board, to officially hand over governance of the board.


2. (U) This formalizes the agreement that was reached at the
February 28 Yamoussoukro summit of Cote d'Ivoire's four
principal political leaders (reftel),under which President
Gbagbo's Ivoirian Popular Front (FPI) party agreed to drop
its legal challenge to the way the new board was elected last
October, in exchange for the creation of a new fourth vice
president position which FPI would fill.


3. (C) Comment: This is a major step forward in the peace
process. The CEI can now begin its work to organize the
elections that were postponed from last year. Even more
importantly, at least for now the Gbagbo camp has accepted an
arrangement under which the opposition controls the CEI.
This is another victory for Prime Minister Banny, who
brokered this deal after UN High Representative for Elections
Antonio Monteiro could not. It increases the prospects that
voter registration will be inclusive, rather than skewed
towards ethnic groups and regions that support Gbagbo. It is
still not clear how the CEI will work together with the
National Statistical Board (INS). The INS is responsible for
the logistics of registering voters under the supervision of
the CEI, but Gbagbo cronies control it and the opposition has
long feared that the INS could assert independent authority
and work to fix the election for Gbagbo. Nevertheless, the
peace process is clearing gaining momentum under Prime
Minister Banny. There is still time to hold elections by
October 30, although that does not look likely. End Comment.
Hooks