HAITI ELECTIONS OBSERVATIONS #3

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000275

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR
S/CRS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA)
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PKAO KDEM HA
SUBJECT: HAITI ELECTIONS OBSERVATIONS #3



1. This message is sensitive but unclassified; please
protect accordingly.


2. (SBU) Summary: All six provincial Election Observation
Teams (EOTs) unanimously report calm in their areas.
Port-au-Prince EOTs and Embassy staff report light traffic
but normal commercial activity. MINUSTAH political officers
told polcouns that they were increasingly confident that
election day would proceed with no major disruptions.
Distribution of sensitive voting materials is complete or
near complete; however EOT Cap Haitien reported that one
voting center has not received the non-sensitive voting
materials. A police station in Port-au-Prince that is
supposed to be a large voting center has not been turned over
to elections officials because the police commissioner claims
he has not received instruction to do so. Hiring and
training of poll workers is close to complete, but low-level
confusion continues over hiring and paying the workers.
Voters continue to complain over distance they will have to
walk to the voting center. End Summary.

Sensitive Materials On the Way
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3. (SBU) Chief of Elections Security and Planning, Neil
Warriner confirmed reports that MINUSTAH had departed from
their original distribution schedule and had already begun to
deliver sensitive material. Some MINUSTAH officials had
claimed that SOUTHCOM reports of bad weather prompted the
change; Warriner said the real reason was the poor results of
their test-run two weeks ago, with particularly bad results
in coordinating helicopter deliveries. While MINUSTAH has
resorted to fallback planning, delivery was proceeding in all
areas. Provincial EOTs in Hinche and Les Cayes report that
all sensitive material has been delivered and is being
watched by local security guards at the voting center.
Remaining EOTs report that sensitive material is either en
route or expected to arrive well before 6:00am February 7.

Commissar Waiting for Instructions Before Handing Over Voting
Center
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4. (SBU) EOT Port-au-Prince #2 visited the &mega8 voting
center located in a police station in the lower Delmas
neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, near to Cite Soleil. The
site is slated to house 37 voting centers serving 15,000
voters. The site manager reported that the police commissar
had not received instructions from the CEP and refused to
turn over the space. Post is following up with possible
contacts who could instruct the commissar appropriately.

Low-level Confusion for Poll Workers
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5. (SBU) Several teams continue to reported low-level
confusion over hiring/training of poll workers. Most teams
have had more workers than jobs report for training, but in a
few isolated cases, not enough people have shown up for work.
In Port-au-Prince there are concern about logistics and
working condition of electoral workers: transportation on
election day, pay, breaks, food, water and hours.
CARNEY