GUINEA'S ELECTIONS - FURTHER DELAYS LIKELY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 001079 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ASEC GV SUBJECT: GUINEA'S ELECTIONS - FURTHER DELAYS LIKELY REF: A) CONAKRY 1061 Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF SHANNON CAZEAU FOR REASON 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. A meeting with the Government of Guinea,s point person on elections seems to illustrate the GoG,s lack of political will and/or capacity to organize legislative elections in a timely manner. While the 25 names for the electoral commission were finally submitted, further delays loom on the horizon. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On September 25, Poloff met with Elhadj Amadou Bailo Diallo, Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior and Security (MIS). He is the GoG,S point person for elections and has overseen every Guinean election over the last 15 years. -------------- YES, WE HAVE A CENI ) SORT OF -------------- ¶3. (U) Diallo confirmed that MIS now has all 25 names required to officially establish the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) since the opposition bloc finally reached agreement on the two previously contested seats. However, when asked if that meant that the CENI can now officially operate, he hedged and said that MIS has submitted the list to President Conte for final approval. Diallo added that the CENI can go ahead and meet, while waiting for presidential approval. -------------- BUT NO PLACE FOR THEM TO MEET -------------- ¶4. (U) During the 2005 local elections, the international donor community provided equipment and financing for a building to the previous electoral commission. Diallo said that the previous CENI building, which is a rental, is now being used by the Ministry of Finance since it was vacant for some time. Diallo said that another building has been identified to be used by the new CENI, but that it requires renovation. He added that a team is evaluating the building and will submit a report detailing the extent of renovations needed and a suggested timeline for repairs. As to the equipment that the donor community provided, which included furniture, computers, radio and cell phones, Diallo said that all of this equipment is still available and will be transferred to the new building. -------------- WAITING, WAITING -------------- ¶5. (U) When asked about the timeline for elections preparations, Diallo said that the GoG cannot commit to a set timeline until it knows for sure the exact date of arrival of the voter registration kits being provided by the European Union (Note: Originally expected in October, these kits are now scheduled to arrive in December). -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶6. (C) Diallo,s comments seem to illustrate the lack of political will and/or capacity on the part of the GoG to proceed with elections preparations in a timely manner. Given the fact that Diallo has overseen the country,s elections for the last 15 years, and that all of these elections were seriously flawed, he may not be the best choice for organizing these legislative elections. On the other hand, if elements within the GoG are intentionally trying to delay progress (reftel),he may be just the man for the job. ¶7. (C) Finally getting all the names for the CENI is an important step forward, one that has been difficult to make for at least the past three months. However, Diallo,s statement that the President must formally sign the decree points to possible further delays. Lack of an adequate facility where the CENI can meet will also likely contribute to delays. No building is ready, despite one having been furnished just two years ago, and Diallo gave the impression that renovations on the identified building could take at least three months. Although Diallo assured poloff that the previously provided equipment will be made available to the new CENI, given the country,s rampant corruption, it is possible that some of this equipment has disappeared, especially smaller items such as cell phones and radios. CONAKRY 00001079 002 OF 002 ¶8. (C) Increasingly, the GoG seems to be pointing fingers in all directions in order to cover for its own lack of coordination and preparation. Saying that the government cannot commit to a timeline before knowing exactly when the voter kits will get here appears to be a stall tactic. Nobody is likely to know an exact date until the kits actually arrive. Furthermore, there are a number of preparations that can take place before the kits get here, but the government,s lack of willingness to formalize a timeline points to the possibility that nothing will really move until the kits arrive in December. END COMMENT. BROKENSHIRE