DRC ELECTIONS SITREP 4: VOTING ENDS, COUNTING

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001212 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPKO CG ELECTIONS SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS SITREP 4: VOTING ENDS, COUNTING BEGINS REF: A. KINSHASA 1211 ¶B. KINSHASA 1210 ¶C. KINSHASA 1209 ¶1. According to reports from international elections observers countrywide, voting officially ended in all polling stations on time and with few reported problems. While the voting process itself has benefited from a variety of "lessons learned" from the constitutional referendum in December 2005, the next delicate step in the process -- transforming 1,800 tons of paper into a clear declaration of the will of the electorate -- must now begin. ¶2. Actual voting this time around was reportedly a much-improved experience when compared to the referendum. Fewer numbers of voters at each station meant shorter lines and faster processing. The election workers were better prepared and better organized. Voters turned out in high numbers early in the day, which meant that almost nobody was still in line at closing time. The Ambassador reported that the polling station he was observing with A/S Frazer closed on time and with nobody waiting to vote, an observation echoed from the DCM, EconCouns, two PolOffs, and various other Mission observers in Kinshasa. PolCouns in Goma, PolOff in Bukavu, PolOff in Bunia, and EconOff in Matadi likewise reported a largely tranquil day of voting, and a timely -- if laborious -- start to the process of counting. Nationwide, observers are estimating high levels of voter turnout. ¶3. Already, however, random reports of potential problems are emerging. One Mission observer reported that at his observation site, the employees of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) have been engaged in a strenuous argument, refusing to count the votes because they haven't been (and until they are) paid. In another, one observer reported a slight printing error on the ballots; a small green dot in the lower left corner (in the box for candidate Roger Lumbala) led some CEI officials to claim that the first ballot noticed had been marked for two candidates. When a series of these "double-marked" ballots subsequently appeared, the officials decided to look more closely at the ballots, although they have not (at this point) awarded the votes to either Lumbala or the other candidate. And once the initial numbers are in, the challenges are likely to follow -- from observers, from CEI officials, and from losing candidates as well. ¶4. Nevertheless, reports indicate a successful day of voting throughout the country, followed by timely commencement of the painstaking process of tabulating results. MEECE