JAMAICA: AMEMBASSY KINGSTON PARTICIPATES IN OAS OBSERVER

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 001348

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR CMS, SES/O, DS/IP/WHA, DS/IP/SPC FOR JIM SPOO, WHA/CAR
(KHARNE/JTILGHMAN),USSOUTHCOM FOR BILL VANCIO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OAS CASC PREL PGOV JM

SUBJECT: JAMAICA: AMEMBASSY KINGSTON PARTICIPATES IN OAS OBSERVER
MISSION

Summary
--------------


1. On September 3, 2007, National General Elections were held in
Jamaica. The Organization of American States (OAS) was present at
the invitation of the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) to serve as
impartial observers for the electoral process. OAS fielded 38
volunteers in two-person teams and covered 53 of 60 electoral
districts in Jamaica. Six Emboffs participated in the observation
mission. End Summary.

Pre-Election training
--------------



2. While OAS leadership communicated with AmEmbassy Kingston well
in advance of the planned mission, the training for volunteers was
held on Saturday, September 1, two days prior to the election.
Volunteers were briefed by OAS Chief of Mission, Ambassador Albert
Ramdin, other OAS staff members and Director of Elections Danville
Walker. Ambassador Ramdin thanked the governments of the United
States and Canada for providing the funding for the OAS mission to
Jamaica at the beginning of the training session. All volunteers
were given maps, a list of voting stations in their assigned areas,
along with election training materials, and vests and hats
identifying them as OAS observers. The Election Organization of
Jamaica (EOJ) provided photo identification cards for all
participants as well.


3. The 38 volunteer observers represented 15 nationalities, and
were comprised of three different groups, members of the diplomatic
community, OAS members from off-island, and foreign national faculty
members of the University of the West Indies, Mona campus (UWI).
Teams were each assigned one or two electoral districts to cover
during their day-long observation mission. The three U.S. Embassy
teams were all given districts in St. Andrew Parish, encompassing
Kingston and the surrounding area, including the polling stations
for residents living near the New Embassy Compound (NEC).

Early start for monitoring teams
--------------


4. Since polling stations opened for voting at 7:00 am local time
(8:00 am EDT),all observer teams arrived at one selected polling
station by 6:30 am local time on Monday, September 3. Observers
were given specific forms to assist in documenting the voting
process, and special notes were taken for the opening procedures.
Each voting station was comprised of two temporary workers
representing the EOJ, one presiding officer and one clerk. Each
candidate for parliament is authorized to have one authorized agent
in place at each polling station to observe on behalf of the party.
These agents were given copies of the voter list for the polling
station and allowed to observe the instructing of voters and casting
of ballots, as well as staying for the close of the polling station
to observe the preliminary counting of votes. (Note: while all
voting stations visited by Emboffs had representatives of both major
political parties, other observers noted an absence of members of
one party in traditional strongholds or garrison communities that
tend to support one party exclusively. While there were independent
candidates and at least one other small party represented in the
election in some constituencies, none of the Emboffs observed any
agents to represent these minority candidates at the polling
stations. One OAS team observed a polling station that opened late
for voting due to the late arrival of the People's National Party
agent. End Note.)


5. The Observer teams were given a complete list of all possible
voting stations, and suggested to visit as many locations as
possible for short observations. (Note: some large polling centers
had as many as 20 polling stations at one central location, such as
a church or school. At the large locations, often different rooms
were marked and set-up for the different voting stations. End
Note.) All locations visited had a strong security presence, most
locations had more than one police officer as well as temporary-hire
security guards, and some locations had armed soldiers from the
Jamaican Defense Force (JDF) present. Agents from the major
political parties were allowed to wear their traditional colors,
orange for People's National Party (PNP) and green for the Jamaican
Labor Party (JLP),but forbidden from wearing any likeness of
candidates or logos of the parties. Many locations had a strong
presence of both green and orange shirts near the front gate of the
polling stations, but no aggressive behavior or violence was
observed by the OAS volunteers. (Note: each party was authorized to
have outdoor agents at each polling center to assist voters in
finding the proper voting location. However, in practice it was
difficult to distinguish between outdoor agents and extra party
supporters in the large groups of green and orange shirts. End

KINGSTON 00001348 002 OF 002


Note.)


6. Observer teams covered as many locations and polling stations as
possible during the voting hours of 7:00 am to 5:00 pm local time,
and were instructed to witness the closing procedures of one polling
station and monitor the initial counting of ballots cast. (Note: due
to reporting requirements and other official duties the team headed
by Poloff was only able to monitor from 6:30 am to 1:00 pm local
time and not able to monitor the closing and initial counting
procedures. Overall the three Emboff teams visited over 20 polling
centers and over 100 polling stations during the voting activities.
End Note.)

Free and fair elections
--------------


7. Overall the EOJ staff members, most of whom were temporary
hires, conducted their jobs efficiently, professionally, and
carefully. Most polling stations opened within 15 minutes of the
goal-time of 7:00 am, and all late openings were for legitimate
reasons such as incomplete polling materials. Voters were allowed
to enter the polling stations one at-a-time. Voters possessing a
voter registration photo id card were checked off the list, and
shown their ballots, instructed impartially on how and where to mark
and fold their ballots. Potential voters without their voter
identification cards were verified in the voter registration,
challenged with questions about their address and biographical
information and then a sworn affidavit, complete with fingerprints
was completed and signed by the presiding officer and the voter.
The actual voting booths were cardboard lecterns with flaps on the
sides to provide enough privacy to vote without the workers seeing
which candidate was chosen. (Note: as Jamaica uses the
parliamentary system, each voter only chooses one candidate for
their home district Member of Parliament. End Note.)


8. Minor glitches were seen in a few instances, but mostly voters
patiently waited in line to cast their votes and were able to depart
after dipping their right index fingers in ink to mark the
completion of the voting process. Emboffs observed a few people who
had difficulty finding the proper polling station to cast their
votes, and one instance of a woman with a valid voter id card being
told someone had already cast a vote using her name, but with the
assistance of the supervisor of the polling center was eventually
allowed to cast her vote.


9. At their final press conference on September 4, Ambassador
Ramdin pronounced the elections "free and fair." Emboffs who
participated concurred with the OAS assessment, finding that while a
few minor incidents may have occurred, overall the voting was well
organized by EOJ and the elections were conducted in a smooth and
transparent manner.

JOHNSON