ELECTION DATE SLIPS AS PARLIAMENTARY PENSIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L FREETOWN 000281

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL SL
SUBJECT: ELECTION DATE SLIPS AS PARLIAMENTARY PENSIONS
PREVAIL

Classified By: Ambassador Thomas N. Hull for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) While there has yet to be an official announcement,
Embassy Freetown has learned that the Government of Sierra
Leone (GoSL) intends to delay the upcoming Parliamentary and
Presidential elections from July 28 until on or shortly after
August 11. National Electoral Commission (NEC) Chair Dr.
Christiana Thorpe reportedly met with President Kabbah and
Speaker of Parliament Justice Edmund Cowan on the evening of
May 3 to discuss a new date for the elections. An official
announcement is expected soon, possibly as early as May 4.


2. (SBU) There had been widespread speculation that the GoSL
would make such a move in response to mounting pressure from
members of Parliament. In order to receive a lifetime monthly
pension amounting to one million Leones (approximately USD
333) Parliament members must serve a full five-year term. If
Parliament were dissolved before June 25, current members not
seeking re-election would miss out on this benefit, since the
Parliament would not have sat for a full five years.


3. (SBU) Many Parliamentarians have indicated they will not
seek re-election due to what some believe is their
unwillingness to be held accountable by constituents under
the new constituency-based system. Other Parliamentarians who
are seeking re-election are likely to be voted out of office
because of their poor service records and inability to draw
constituency support. In November 2006, Parliament accepted a
NEC report recommending that elections be constituency-based.
Previous elections since 1996 were based on proportional
party representation, which enabled many party stalwarts to
be elected to Parliament for their party loyalty.
Parliamentarians were assigned constituencies after
elections, and many never visited them.


4. (SBU) On May 4, the NEC met with political parties'
representatives and proposed August 11 as the new election
date. The NEC apparently voiced its concern that, in order to
follow constitutional elections guidelines, it would not have
sufficient time to adequately prepare between the June 25
date when President Kabbah intends to dissolve Parliament and
the originally selected July 28 election day. There are
significant logistical challenges. Parties have to submit all
parliamentary candidates to the NEC by June 1. Subsequently,
candidates have to be vetted and validated by the NEC as
registered voters. Ballots then need to be printed outside
the country and distributed to often remote polling stations.
Consequently, the NEC apparently realized that holding
elections on July 28 was simply unrealistic. Observers have
commented that political parties' representatives voiced only
mild disappointment with the postponement.


5. (SBU) NEC Chair Dr. Thorpe said that the presidential
elections must be held before August 14 to uphold
presidential electoral constitutional requirements. Since
August 11 is a Saturday (as was July 28),it appears that it
would be the logical date to allow sufficient time to meet
the logistical needs, while respecting constitutional
strictures. If a run-off presidential election becomes
necessary (55 percent is required to win in the first round),
it would most likely be held on September 8.


6. (C) COMMENT: Most observers and donors have generally
been satisfied with the pace and conduct of election
preparations, including the registration process. This latest
news appears to be the first real hiccup in the process. UN
Executive Representative of the Secretary General (ERSG)
Victor Angelo strenuously tried to persuade President Kabbah
to dissolve Parliament early but was rebuffed in a tense
meeting on May 2. Surprisingly, there has been relatively
little opposition expressed to the postponement, although
speculation abounds that this may be a ploy by the ruling
SLPP to lengthen access to government coffers to fund
campaigns. However, government coffers are reportedly empty
as major budget support donors are freezing disbursements
until after the election. Whether this is an overly cynical
interpretation or not, the fact remains that the logistical
constraints are real, given that Parliament is unwilling to
dissolve before June 25. The main concern about the later
date is that Sierra Leone will be deeper into its torrential
rainy season increasing the difficulty for voters to reach
polling stations on election day and for election materials
to be delivered and retrieved over nearly impassable muddy
roads or by UN helicopter due to low visibility. END COMMENT.
HULL