CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER LAYS OUT PLAN FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000984

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2017
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG
SUBJECT: CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER LAYS OUT PLAN FOR
ELECTIONS BY END-2008

Classified By: Amb. Patricia A. Butenis for reasons 1.4(d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. The Election Commission is preparing to
announce a roadmap for elections in mid-July. Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC) Huda clarified the role of the army in the
voter registration process, discussed how planning for the
registration process was proceeding, and assured the
Ambassador they had a "Plan B" to ensure that nation-wide
parliamentary elections are held by end-2008 even if the new
photo voter list is not completed in time. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) On June 13, the Ambassador held a farewell meeting
with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda.
POLOFF attended as notetaker. She began the meeting
complimenting Huda for his leadership and the transparency of
the Election Commission since he took over in February.

VOTER LIST PILOT UNDERWAY
=========================


3. (SBU) Huda explained the Commission's approach to
preparing the new voter list with photographs. Most decisions
regarding preparing the list have been made; on June 10, the
Commission, working closely with the army, began a three-week
registration pilot test in the village of Sreepur north of
Dhaka. The goal of the pilot is to determine the correct
combination of procedures and technology to minimize the
amount of time it will take to register an individual, and to
see if the sequencing of steps is correct. The data
collection methodology was developed by a team of UNDP-funded
consultants.

"ROADMAP" IN MID-JULY
=====================


4. (SBU) According to Huda, after observing the pilot the
UNDP team will submit a preliminary report to the Commission.
This will serve as the basis of a "roadmap to elections"
that the CEC will announce publicly by mid-July. The
consultants will submit a final, detailed project document,
including procurement needs, by the end of July.

ROLE OF ARMY BEING REDUCED
==========================


5. (C) Huda said the army was assisting with the pilot, but
that the Commission is in overall control. The army
initially got involved in the voter registration process in
January, when it contracted with firms to develop the
necessary software for a new enumeration. It applied
institutional knowledge of registration efforts, including
military peacekeeping experience with voter registration
operations in the Congo and Sierra Leone. On May 13, the army
gave a demonstration to the caretaker advisers and Election
Commission of the test software.


6. (C) After the demonstration, Huda told Chief of Army Staff
General MA Moeen there was a role for the army "to keep
things organized," but the Election Commission now needed to
assume responsibility for the registration process. Moeen
resisted initially, but Huda insisted, and the Chief Adviser
backed him. Eventually, the army agreed to work under the
Commission on this project.

NEXT STEPS
==========


7. (SBU) After the Sreepur pilot is completed, the Election
Commission plans to move on to two cities, Rajshahi and
Khulna. The plan is to complete registration and hold city
corporation elections in those two cities by the end of 2007.
Huda said it was important to hold elections of some sort by
the end of the year to provide a tangible sign to the public
that the Commission is working as quickly as possible to
prepare the country for national elections. After Rajshahi
and Khulna, he plans to move on to Dhaka in early 2008.

A "PLAN B"
==========


8. (C) The Ambassador asked how confident Huda was that the
voter list would be ready in time for parliamentary elections
by the end of 2008. Huda said he was "still sure" it would
be done in time, but he also said the Commission has a "Plan

DHAKA 00000984 002 OF 002


B."


9. (C) The Election Commission has prioritized which areas of
the country need to be registered first, based on where voter
fraud has been greatest. These areas will be done first,
with those with less past voter fraud being done later. The
Commission will assess the situation in summer 2008. If
registration has only been done in two-thirds of the country,
elections can still be held -- the worst problem areas will
have elections using the new list, and the better areas will
conduct elections with some form of an updated old list. The
voter list with photographs will be completed in those areas
after the elections. "Regardless, we will have elections by
the end of 2008," Huda assured us.

COMMISSION'S INDEPENDENCE "RESOLVED"
====================================


10. (SBU) Huda said the President would soon sign an
ordinance separating the Election Commission from the Prime
Minister's (now Chief Adviser's) Office. The lack of
independence of the Commission -- in spite of a
constitutional provision -- had become a major concern of the
donor community, and the Chief Adviser "strongly supported"
the separation.

POLITICAL PARTY REFORM
======================


11. (SBU) The Ambassador praised Huda for his public calls
for a lift on the ban on indoor politics and reiterated her
support for this as well. Although the Commission could
still meet with party members, Huda noted the parties could
not meet to agree on common positions as long as the ban was
in effect. Huda said it was up to the government and
military when the ban would be lifted, but "the time might
not be right" now given the recent wave of arrests. He
expressed the hope it would be lifted sometime in the next
two months.

COMMENT
=======


12. (C) Huda's statements were the clearest assurance yet the
Election Commission plans to lead the country to elections by
end-2008. The CEC was well-versed in the complexities of the
voter registration process, and in the rare instance he did
not know the answer to a question, he was willing to admit
it. Most significantly, this is the first time anyone from
the government has discussed a back-up plan should the voter
list take longer than planned.
BUTENIS