Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KINSHASA1667
2006-10-27 12:59:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kinshasa
Cable title:
DRC ELECTIONS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
how-toVZCZCXRO2314 PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN DE RUEHKI #1667/01 3001259 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 271259Z OCT 06 FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5055 INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 001667
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 001667
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. (U) The following is a series of frequently asked
questions and answers regarding the DRC's October 29
presidential run-off and provincial assembly elections.
--------------
Q: WHAT IS THE OCTOBER 29 ELECTION ABOUT?
--------------
2. (U) The October 29 election consists of two votes. The
first is a presidential run-off between President Joseph
Kabila and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba. The second is
a ballot to elect the DRC's new provincial assemblies.
--------------
Q: WHY IS THERE A RUN-OFF ELECTION?
--------------
3. (U) Thirty-two candidates ran for president in the July
30 contest. As no candidate received a majority of the
vote, the DRC's electoral law stipulates the top two
candidates proceed to a second round. Kabila won 44.8 of
the vote and Bemba won 20 percent.
--------------
Q: WHO ARE THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES?
--------------
4. (U) Kabila, age 35, is president of the DRC's
transitional government established following the adoption
of the 2003 Sun City Accords. He had originally been
installed as president following the assassination of his
father Laurent-Desire Kabila in 2001. Although running as
an independent, Kabila is backed by the People's Party for
Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) and other parties
affiliated with the Alliance for the Presidential Majority
(AMP).
5. (U) Bemba, age 43, is a former businessman from Equateur
province, and the outgoing transitional vice president in
charge of economic affairs. Bemba led the Ugandan-backed
Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) during the
Congo's civil war in the late 1990s. The MLC is now a
political party and leads the Union for the Nation
alliance.
--------------
Q: WHEN WILL PEOPLE VOTE?
--------------
6. (U) Voting begins October 29 at 0600 local time and will
continue for 11 hours or until all voters waiting in line
have cast their ballots.
--------------
Q: WHEN WILL RESULTS BE KNOWN?
--------------
7. (U) Counting will begin immediately after polls close
and results will be posted at individual voting sites after
ballots are compiled by hand. Provisional presidential
results are expected to be announced no later than November
19. Final results for the presidential contest will be
published by November 30 by the Independent Electoral
Commission (CEI) after the Supreme Court has reviewed any
challenges to the election.
8. (U) The CEI has accredited at least 200,000 political
party witnesses plus national and international observers
to monitor the polls. Party witnesses will likely be
reporting results to their party headquarters long before
the CEI announces them.
--------------
Q: WHEN WILL THE PRESIDENT TAKE OFFICE?
--------------
9. (U) According to the CEI's electoral calendar, the new
president is to be inaugurated by December 10, or 10 days
after the publication of final results.
-------------- --------------
--------------
Q: WHAT DOES THE ELECTION MEAN FOR THE TRANSITIONAL
GOVERNMENT?
-------------- --------------
--------------
KINSHASA 00001667 002 OF 003
10. (U) The three-year transitional government will come to
a close with the inauguration of the president, who will be
the head of state. A new prime minister will serve as head
of government, and will be selected by the president in
consultation with the majority coalition of the National
Assembly.
--------------
Q: WHAT ARE THE PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLIES?
--------------
11. (U) The provincial assemblies are a new level of
government mandated by the DRC's new constitution adopted
in a December 2005 referendum. They will be responsible for
day-to-day provincial administration in areas such as
development, commerce, and public debt. The provincial
assemblies, once seated, will select members of the
national Senate as well as provincial governors and vice
governors.
-------------- --------------
--------------
Q: HOW MANY POSITIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE PROVINCIAL
ASSEMBLIES?
-------------- --------------
--------------
12. (U) Voters will be choosing from among 13,467
candidates for 632 seats in the DRC's 11 provincial
assemblies.
--------------
Q: WHEN WILL PROVINCIAL RESULTS BE KNOWN?
--------------
13. (U) Provisional results for the provincial races are
expected by December 5. Final results will be announced in
mid-February, after appellate courts have ruled on any
challenges. An additional 58 representatives will later be
appointed to the assemblies from among traditional local
leaders.
--------------
Q: HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE VOTING?
--------------
14. (U) The CEI registered 25.4 million as eligible voters
in 2005. Of these, 17.9 million (70.54 percent)
participated in the July 30 first-round presidential and
legislation elections. Turnout is generally expected to be
slightly higher for the October 29 contest. Members of the
armed forces and the police are not allowed to vote,
according to the DRC's electoral law.
--------------
Q: HOW MUCH HAVE THESE ELECTIONS COST?
--------------
15. (U) The election budget is approximately 470 million
USD. This does not include significant contributions from
MONUC for transport and security.
-------------- --------------
Q: HOW MUCH HAS THE USG CONTRIBUTED TO THE ELECTIONS?
-------------- --------------
16. (U) The USG has contributed 3 million USD directly to
the CEI for its operational expenses. An additional 2
million USD has been provided through various USAID-
sponsored programs for civic education, training of
political parties, funding international observer missions,
and providing technical advisers to the CEI.
-------------- --------------
Q: HOW MUCH MATERIAL IS BEING USED FOR THESE ELECTIONS?
-------------- --------------
17. (U) Nearly 50 million ballots weighing some 1,600 tons
have been printed in South Africa and delivered to the
DRC's 50,045 planned voting sites by more than 75 round-
trip flights. An additional 2,500 tons of other voting
material, including ballot boxes, voting booths and
paperwork, have also been delivered. The CEI will have
nearly 250,000 electoral personnel nationwide working in
voting stations, transporting material, and doing data
entry at the provincial and national levels.
KINSHASA 00001667 003 OF 003
-------------- --
Q: WHO IS PROVIDING SECURITY FOR THE ELECTIONS?
-------------- --
18. (U) A total of 70,637 Congolese National Police
officers are charged with providing security at polling
stations. Authorized members of the Congolese armed forces,
supported by MONUC peacekeepers, will help secure sites in
eastern DRC where police presence is minimal. MONUC has
nearly 18,000 peacekeepers deployed throughout the country,
mostly in eastern DRC. EUFOR has stationed 1,200 troops in
the country, primarily in Kinshasa, but has also placed
small reaction teams in Lubumbashi, Kananga and Mbandaka.
MEECE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. (U) The following is a series of frequently asked
questions and answers regarding the DRC's October 29
presidential run-off and provincial assembly elections.
--------------
Q: WHAT IS THE OCTOBER 29 ELECTION ABOUT?
--------------
2. (U) The October 29 election consists of two votes. The
first is a presidential run-off between President Joseph
Kabila and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba. The second is
a ballot to elect the DRC's new provincial assemblies.
--------------
Q: WHY IS THERE A RUN-OFF ELECTION?
--------------
3. (U) Thirty-two candidates ran for president in the July
30 contest. As no candidate received a majority of the
vote, the DRC's electoral law stipulates the top two
candidates proceed to a second round. Kabila won 44.8 of
the vote and Bemba won 20 percent.
--------------
Q: WHO ARE THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES?
--------------
4. (U) Kabila, age 35, is president of the DRC's
transitional government established following the adoption
of the 2003 Sun City Accords. He had originally been
installed as president following the assassination of his
father Laurent-Desire Kabila in 2001. Although running as
an independent, Kabila is backed by the People's Party for
Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) and other parties
affiliated with the Alliance for the Presidential Majority
(AMP).
5. (U) Bemba, age 43, is a former businessman from Equateur
province, and the outgoing transitional vice president in
charge of economic affairs. Bemba led the Ugandan-backed
Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) during the
Congo's civil war in the late 1990s. The MLC is now a
political party and leads the Union for the Nation
alliance.
--------------
Q: WHEN WILL PEOPLE VOTE?
--------------
6. (U) Voting begins October 29 at 0600 local time and will
continue for 11 hours or until all voters waiting in line
have cast their ballots.
--------------
Q: WHEN WILL RESULTS BE KNOWN?
--------------
7. (U) Counting will begin immediately after polls close
and results will be posted at individual voting sites after
ballots are compiled by hand. Provisional presidential
results are expected to be announced no later than November
19. Final results for the presidential contest will be
published by November 30 by the Independent Electoral
Commission (CEI) after the Supreme Court has reviewed any
challenges to the election.
8. (U) The CEI has accredited at least 200,000 political
party witnesses plus national and international observers
to monitor the polls. Party witnesses will likely be
reporting results to their party headquarters long before
the CEI announces them.
--------------
Q: WHEN WILL THE PRESIDENT TAKE OFFICE?
--------------
9. (U) According to the CEI's electoral calendar, the new
president is to be inaugurated by December 10, or 10 days
after the publication of final results.
-------------- --------------
--------------
Q: WHAT DOES THE ELECTION MEAN FOR THE TRANSITIONAL
GOVERNMENT?
-------------- --------------
--------------
KINSHASA 00001667 002 OF 003
10. (U) The three-year transitional government will come to
a close with the inauguration of the president, who will be
the head of state. A new prime minister will serve as head
of government, and will be selected by the president in
consultation with the majority coalition of the National
Assembly.
--------------
Q: WHAT ARE THE PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLIES?
--------------
11. (U) The provincial assemblies are a new level of
government mandated by the DRC's new constitution adopted
in a December 2005 referendum. They will be responsible for
day-to-day provincial administration in areas such as
development, commerce, and public debt. The provincial
assemblies, once seated, will select members of the
national Senate as well as provincial governors and vice
governors.
-------------- --------------
--------------
Q: HOW MANY POSITIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE PROVINCIAL
ASSEMBLIES?
-------------- --------------
--------------
12. (U) Voters will be choosing from among 13,467
candidates for 632 seats in the DRC's 11 provincial
assemblies.
--------------
Q: WHEN WILL PROVINCIAL RESULTS BE KNOWN?
--------------
13. (U) Provisional results for the provincial races are
expected by December 5. Final results will be announced in
mid-February, after appellate courts have ruled on any
challenges. An additional 58 representatives will later be
appointed to the assemblies from among traditional local
leaders.
--------------
Q: HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE VOTING?
--------------
14. (U) The CEI registered 25.4 million as eligible voters
in 2005. Of these, 17.9 million (70.54 percent)
participated in the July 30 first-round presidential and
legislation elections. Turnout is generally expected to be
slightly higher for the October 29 contest. Members of the
armed forces and the police are not allowed to vote,
according to the DRC's electoral law.
--------------
Q: HOW MUCH HAVE THESE ELECTIONS COST?
--------------
15. (U) The election budget is approximately 470 million
USD. This does not include significant contributions from
MONUC for transport and security.
-------------- --------------
Q: HOW MUCH HAS THE USG CONTRIBUTED TO THE ELECTIONS?
-------------- --------------
16. (U) The USG has contributed 3 million USD directly to
the CEI for its operational expenses. An additional 2
million USD has been provided through various USAID-
sponsored programs for civic education, training of
political parties, funding international observer missions,
and providing technical advisers to the CEI.
-------------- --------------
Q: HOW MUCH MATERIAL IS BEING USED FOR THESE ELECTIONS?
-------------- --------------
17. (U) Nearly 50 million ballots weighing some 1,600 tons
have been printed in South Africa and delivered to the
DRC's 50,045 planned voting sites by more than 75 round-
trip flights. An additional 2,500 tons of other voting
material, including ballot boxes, voting booths and
paperwork, have also been delivered. The CEI will have
nearly 250,000 electoral personnel nationwide working in
voting stations, transporting material, and doing data
entry at the provincial and national levels.
KINSHASA 00001667 003 OF 003
-------------- --
Q: WHO IS PROVIDING SECURITY FOR THE ELECTIONS?
-------------- --
18. (U) A total of 70,637 Congolese National Police
officers are charged with providing security at polling
stations. Authorized members of the Congolese armed forces,
supported by MONUC peacekeepers, will help secure sites in
eastern DRC where police presence is minimal. MONUC has
nearly 18,000 peacekeepers deployed throughout the country,
mostly in eastern DRC. EUFOR has stationed 1,200 troops in
the country, primarily in Kinshasa, but has also placed
small reaction teams in Lubumbashi, Kananga and Mbandaka.
MEECE