THE NEW ELECTIONS COMMISSION AT 60 DAYS: SOLID

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002153 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM IZ SUBJECT: THE NEW ELECTIONS COMMISSION AT 60 DAYS: SOLID START BUT GROWING PAINS Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Robert Gilchrist for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Summary: The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) of Iraq demonstrated solid potential during their first sixty days in office. After a successful training trip to India, the IHEC seized the initiative to begin creating a voter registry, which is a key prerequisite for provincial elections. However, in conversations with Deputy PolCounselor, Poloff, and the Independent Electoral Advisory Team (IEAT),the commissioners describe how they continue to experience logistical difficulties in setting up their organization. While noting the many political decisions that needed to be made before provincial council elections could be held, the commissioners nonetheless expressed intentions of being fully prepared by the time of the vote. End Summary. -------------- Successful training in India -------------- ¶2. (C) The IHEC commissioners had a successful training trip to India from May 30 to June 9, which was organized by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the UN Office for Project Services. According to UNAMI Chief Electoral Advisor Sandra Mitchell, the commissioners used the space created by a non-conflict environment to develop strong group cohesiveness and positive personal relationships. "There was no evidence of any sectarian divisiveness," said Mitchell. The commissioners attended all training sessions, were responsible and timely, did their assigned homework, and did not abuse their delegation privileges, stated Mitchell. The result, she continued, is that upon their return to Baghdad on June 10, "they hit the ground running very fast." -------------- Next steps for provincial elections -------------- ¶3. (C) In a June 24 meeting with Deputy PolCouns and poloff, IHEC Commissioner Hamdiya Al-Husseini (Shia) listed the prerequisites for provincial elections: elections legislation, appointment of the governorate chief electoral officers, a voter registry, a mechanism to handle internally displaced people, and a budget. Chairman Faraj stated that the elections legislation must be sure to address the electoral system, the choice of boundaries to be used, and the date or dates of the elections, because these were political questions that could not be determined by the IHEC. ¶4. (C) IHEC Chief Electoral Officer Kareem Al-Tamimi (Shia) stated that the governorate electoral offices were suffering from the absence of supervision and that the governorate electoral officers (GEO) needed to be appointed as quickly as possible. The process for appointment is for the Council of Representatives (CoR) to propose a slate of five nominees for each GEO position and for the IHEC to then select one of the five. Presently, although the CoR has assembled slates for seven of the nineteen positions (Baghdad governorate has two positions),none had been submitted yet to the IHEC. ¶5. (C) According to Charles Lasham, Chief of Party for IFES, an IEAT non-governmental organization, the IHEC needs to focus on capacity building in the area of elections procurement, which has never been done by Iraqis before. During the previous elections held in 2005, the IEAT handled all procurement steps, including writing requests for proposals, bidding and awarding contracts, and costing and sourcing materials. The IHEC does not have a procurement department or any procurement procedures, said Lasham. UNAMI Sandra Mitchell confirmed that building procurement capacity was a priority for the IEAT. -------------- Showing initiative with the voter registry -------------- ¶6. (C) Whereas the IHEC's predecessor organization, the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, refused to address the issue of a voter registry until after elections legislation is passed, the IHEC is showing more initiative and feels that this is a task that can begin now, according to UNAMI Sandra Mitchell. Mitchell told poloffs that the IHEC has agreed to purchase the food Public Distribution System (PDS) database from the Ministry of Trade. IFES database experts would soon begin the work to convert the PDS organized by heads of households to a database organized by eligible voter. These experts will also need to reconcile BAGHDAD 00002153 002 OF 002 the geographic mismatch between the food distribution districts and the voter registration districts. -------------- Growing pains -------------- ¶7. (C) With the support of IEAT, the IHEC Commissioners are now focused on a long list of capacity-building topics. These include department staffing reviews, legal frameworks, procurement, security, and the employment status of the IHEC staff, who are all on two month revolving contracts. The commissioners are particularly concerned about security: they do not yet have their promised International Zone housing or armored cars. The risks they face were emphasized in May when the family of one commissioner was killed in a red zone mortar attack (Note: According to UNAMI Sandra Mitchell, subsequent investigation suggested this was a random attack and not a targeting based on the principal's new role as an IHEC commissioner. End note). ¶8. (C) The new IHEC is also working through logistical difficulties with its neighbor, the Council of Ministers (CoM). Commissioners described how the CoM is pressuring them to either cede space in their building and warehouse or risk having their electricity cut off. "Are we independent or not?" Chairman Faraj asked rhetorically. The commissioners acknowledged that these problems were part of the growing pains of starting a new organization and committed to keep working until they are resolved. During the meeting with the IHEC, poloffs noted that some of the positive momentum built during the India training workshops is being consumed by these infrastructure and logistical challenges. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) Comment: Thus far, the new IHEC appears more professional and less partisan than the previous board. The seriousness with which they take the training offered by the UN is reflected in their firm grasp of the steps they must take to prepare for provincial elections. They also demonstrated considerable initiative in tackling a voter registry prior to the passage of any elections legislation. End Comment. CROCKER