ALMOST 1 MILLION REGISTERED DURING FIRST MONTH

C O N F I D E N T I A L LUANDA 001304 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2031 TAGS: PGOV PREL AO SUBJECT: ALMOST 1 MILLION REGISTERED DURING FIRST MONTH REF: A) LUANDA 01298 B) LUANDA 01291 Classified By: Charge d'affaires Francisco J. Fernandez, reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) According to official numbers released December 22, 945,451 potential voters were registered in the first phase of voter registration. As expected, the populous provinces of Luanda, Benguela and Huambo recorded the highest numbers of registrants. Sparsely populated Zaire and Namibe provinces recorded the least registrants. ¶2. (C) Registration results from provinces traditionally affiliated with UNITA and other opposition parties showed strong results. The traditional UNITA strongholds of Benguela, Huambo, and Bie registered a total of 268,418 voters. Four other provinces with strong historical UNITA ties registered an additional 193,724 potential voters. The vast yet sparsely populated PRS strongholds of Moxico and the Lundas registered 83,875 voters. NOTE: Angola,s last census, taken in 1973, showed population centers in the costal cities of Luanda, Benguela, and Lobito, and large population centers driven by the agricultural sector in the provinces of Huambo, Kuanza North, Huila and Uige. Though reliable data does not exist, the ensuing 3 decades of conflict produced massive population sifts toward urban centers, in particular towards the provincial capitals of Luanda, Huambo, Benguela, and Lubango. END NOTE ¶3. (U) Registration results by province through 15 December 2006 are as follows: Luanda 180,730 Benguela 121,428 Huambo 93,371 Huila 79,847 Kwanza Sul 61,041 Uige 55,757 Bie 53,619 Malange 47,775 Moxico 32,129 Lunda Norte 28,724 Kuando Kubango 28,024 Bengo 25,523 Cunene 24,830 Kwanza North 24,752 Cabinda 24,230 Lunda Sul 23,022 Zaire 20,711 Namibe 19,938 ¶4. COMMENT: (C) The registration numbers reinforce the results of the recent IRI-sponsored poll that indicated that most Angolans look forward to voting. While the strong start could bode well for phase two of registration, set to commence January 15, it will be interesting to see if the recent recommendation by the Council of the Republic to hold off on elections until 2008 will dampen voter enthusiasm. End Comment. FERNANDEZ