ELECTION COMMISSION TO PREPARE NEW VOTER LIST IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 000547 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG SUBJECT: ELECTION COMMISSION TO PREPARE NEW VOTER LIST IN NEXT 18 MONTHS Classified By: Amb. Patricia A. Butenis for reasons 1.4(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. The Election Commission will take at least 18 months to prepare a new voter list with photographs, Chief Election Commissioner Huda told the Ambassador, and the voter list would be prepared in tandem with a project to introduce national identification cards. The Commissioners also said they were preparing new financial and registration rules for political parties, but that their aim was to get the parties to reform, rather than to eliminate them from the scene. END SUMMARY. NEW VOTER LIST WITH PHOTOS, 18-MONTH TIMELINE ============================================= ¶2. (C) On April 3, Ambassador and Poloff (note taker) met with Chief Election Commissioner Dr. ATM Shamsul Huda and Election Commissioners Mohammad Suhul Hossain and Brigadier General (ret.) Sakhahwat Hossaina. The Ambassador emphasized the need for a timeline to elections and asked if the Commission had decided how to prepare a voter list. Huda said the Commission had decided to prepare a new voter list with photographs rather than update the old list or create voter identification cards. The new list would be prepared in tandem with a longer-term project to create national identification cards. They would also create a database so that there would be a permanent record of voters to build on, eliminating the need for new registrations before each national election. The United Nations Development Program is providing consultants and technical expertise, and a donation from the Korean government will help fund the 8,000 computers and digital cameras required. ¶3. (C) Huda plans elections in 18 months: six months to prepare for the new enumeration (including procurement and training),and one year to conduct a door-to-door enumeration and prepare the list. This timeline, if met, would permit new national elections around November 2008. Local city corporation elections could be earlier if they prepare city voter lists first, or could be held in conjunction with parliamentary elections. ELECTION COMMISSION "CAN'T DO AWAY" WITH PARTIES ============================================= === ¶4. (C) Huda said the Election Commission's aim was not to do away with the main political parties but to create a legal framework within which they must operate. The Commission has already drafted amendments to the election law whcih will require parties to register and submit to audits. They had met with representatives of the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and would continue to consult with them, Huda added. ¶5. (C) Commissioner Hossain stressed the need for political parties in a democracy, adding "all our reforms are aimed at creating a healthy democracy." Huda emphasized internal democracy within the parties, and an end to political dynasties, noting that 15% of the Awami League candidates for the aborted January 22 elections were relatives of party leader Sheikh Hasina. HUDA REAFFIRMS COMMISSION'S INDEPENDENCE ======================================== ¶6. (C) Huda assured the Ambassador the Election Commission was not receiving instructions from the military or Chief Advisor, nor was it being pressured on the timeline, voter list, or other issues. The Commission is independent, he asserted; its decisions are based on consultations with parties and civil society and on the commission's own, internal assessments. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: This is the first definitive word from the Election Commission -- publicly or privately to us -- regarding a timeframe for elections. While it is possible the Commission is operating in splendid isolation from the rest of the government, having a retired brigadier general as a Commissioner indicates there are at least informal contacts with the military. It remains to be seen whether the government will endorse this 18-month timeframe, or move the goalposts to give it more time to break the two main parties and implement a broader agenda than just the immediate goal of bringing the country to free and fair elections. END COMMENT. BUTENIS