U.S. OBSERVATION TEAM FOR ACEH ELECTIONS: WHAT WE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 013481

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL EAID KDEM KPAO ID
SUBJECT: U.S. OBSERVATION TEAM FOR ACEH ELECTIONS: WHAT WE
SAW

REF: JAKARTA 13462


1. (SBU) Summary: A comprehensive post-election analysis of
questionnaires returned by members of the official U.S.
election observation team confirm our initial report (reftel)
that the gubernatorial and district administrative elections
in the Indonesian province of Aceh on December 11 were free
and fair. Observing over 100 polling stations across 13
districts, our delegation reported an election that was
largely in compliance with accepted standards and free from
attempts by authorities to intimidate or coerce voters on
election day. Turnout at sites observed was generally high,
ranging between 65 and 90 percent of registered voters.
While a number of procedural problems were observed during
the voting, these were not, in our opinion, sufficiently
widespread or significant to cast doubt on the validity of
the election results. Other monitoring groups have reported
incidents which we did not see, but by and large our sampling
of the process appears to have been representative of the
overall conduct of the elections as a whole. Embassy is
sharing these findings with the Aceh Election Commission
(KIP). End Summary


2. (U) The Mission deployed a group of 40 USG employees in
two-person teams to serve as election monitors during the
December 11 provincial elections in Aceh. The team observed
voting at over 100 polling stations in the capital of Banda
Aceh and scattered across 13 provincial districts. They also
witnessed the counting of votes at 22 sites. All team
members possessed an official accreditation badge issued by
the provincial election authority (KIP),which was required
of all observers, and none of the team reported any
difficulties in gaining access to polling stations.


3. (SBU) These reports confirm our initial assessment that
the election was free and fair. Observers reported a high
turnout among voters and an acceptable level of compliance
with procedural regulations on the part of election
officials. Significantly, our observers did not report a
single incidence of an attempt to influence how votes were
cast and found no major security incidents. (Note: Local
media did report problems in several locations on election
day, and in the two days prior to elections, some team
members did receive reports of large numbers of voters being
left off the voter registration lists and/or not receiving
voter cards.) On election day itself we saw very few
incidents in which would-be voters were denied the right to
vote. Observers in one location described a disgruntled
group of people causing a commotion after being told they
were not on the registration list, but in the end local
officials agreed to allow the group to vote in technical
violation of the regulations. In many locations
locally-produced invitation letters were accepted in lieu of
voter registration cards, and at a number of sites voter
registration lists were simply not used. While this could
have been an oversight in some instances, it may also have
been a deliberate method of reducing the possibility of
potentially eligible voters being turned away.


4. (SBU) Most of the polling sites observed were found to be
generally in compliance with the procedures established the
provincial election commission (KIP). Most polling places
were set up according to a standard format, and were kept
free of campaign materials. Security was present but not
intrusive, and ballots were kept under a tight watch by both
election officials and witnesses representing various
candidates. Violations of procedures centered largely on the
decisions not to use voter lists or to require voters to
present their voter cards prior to voting, which were most
likely practical responses to the inadequacies of the
registration process. The other common procedural violation
was a widespread failure on the part of the security to check
voters' fingers for ink prior to allowing them in to vote.
Less common but potentially more serious, voting booths
lacked total privacy at 10 sites, and at four locations the
number of registered voters was greater than the number of
ballots available.


5. (SBU) The U.S. team observed the counting of ballots in 22
locations. Once again, observers reported the process to be
transparent and fair, with ballot boxes being opened and
ballots being read in full view of witnesses representing
multiple candidates. Some minor procedural violations were
observed, notably the failure of election officials in some
locations to reconcile the number of ballots prior to

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counting the votes. At all sites where counting was
observed, turnout was at least 65 percent and often as high
as 90 percent of registered voters. One of the monitoring
teams visited a "recapitulation center" to which ballot boxes
were transported for collection and verification after
counting had been completed at individual stations. That
team observed significant procedural irregularities at the
center and a general lack of supervision on the part of
recapitulation center officials. Most observers did not
visit recapitulation centers due to a Mission decision that
all personnel should return to their hotels by nightfall for
security reasons.
PASCOE