Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07LOME329
2007-05-08 12:04:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Lome
Cable title:
TOGO - PROGRESS IN PREPARING 2007 LEGISLATIVE
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHPC #0329 1281204 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 081204Z MAY 07 FM AMEMBASSY LOME TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7928 INFO RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2131 RUEHCO/AMEMBASSY COTONOU 3938 RUEHOU/AMEMBASSY OUAGADOUGOU 8869 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0555
UNCLAS LOME 000329
SIPDIS
PARIS FOR GREG D'ELIA
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM TO
SUBJECT: TOGO - PROGRESS IN PREPARING 2007 LEGISLATIVE
ELECTIONS
UNCLAS LOME 000329
SIPDIS
PARIS FOR GREG D'ELIA
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM TO
SUBJECT: TOGO - PROGRESS IN PREPARING 2007 LEGISLATIVE
ELECTIONS
1. Summary: The GoT and the Electoral Commission, in
consultation with the EU and UNDP, are moving ahead slowly
with preparations for the legislative elections scheduled for
June 24. According to the press, few believe the June 24
date will hold. UNDP experts say elections are not possible
before early September. End Summary.
2. On April 5, the GoT approved the CFA 18 billion (USD 36
million) legislative elections budget presented by the CENI.
The CENI received technical assistance from the UN
Development Program (UNDP). The GoT promised to cover about
CFA 5 billion (USD 10 million) of the total amount, and the
European Union promised Euros 12 million (USD 16 million).
In addition, the National Assembly passed a bill that
provides some financial support for political parties. It
also stipulates that political parties will receive bonuses
based on the number of their female candidates elected to the
National Assembly.
3. In compliance with the Global Political Accord signed
last August, the GoT signed agreements with the Benin
government and UNHCR-Benin and with Ghana government and
UNHCR-Ghana on April 11. With these agreements, the GoT
promises to provide protection and community reintegration
assistance to encourage the voluntary return of Togolese
refugees, and to enable them to participate in the upcoming
legislative elections.
4. The CENI has been making significant progress in
preparing for the elections. On March 8, in accordance with
a point in the Global Political Accord, members of the CENI
approved an internal election procedures manual. It requires
that members seek consensus in decision-making, rather than
using majority rule. At the end of March, 3,000
computer-based electoral kits, borrowed from the Democratic
Republic of Congo, arrived in Lome. On April 3 and 4, three
Belgian technical experts familiarized CENI members with the
operation of the kits. The instructors took them through
each step of the registration process, from the arrival of
voters at the registration center to the issuance of
digitally-based paper voter registration cards.
5. On AprilQ0, the CENI organized aQress conference to
inform the public about the new registration process with the
electoral kits. The process consists of entering the voter's
information into the data base, taking a photograph and a
fingerprint, printing the voter's registration card,
protecting the card with lamination, and delivering it to the
voter on-the-spot. The CENI stated that it should take less
than 10 minutes to issue each voter's card.
6. For the CENI, much work remains. The CENI will
officially install and train the 279 members of the local
electoral committees (CELIs) and a larger number of
registration officers on how to use the electoral kits and
issue voter registration cards. Training on registering a
person will take about 45 minutes. The CENI specified that
2,500 electoral kits would be earmarked for voter
registration. The CENI believes that it could take about
four weeks to issue cards to 2.3 million prospective voters,
based on the number who voted in the April 2005 presidential
election. (Note: Post thinks four weeks is extremely
optimistic. End note.) The CENI will then need to train the
CELIs and the voting office workers on how to administer a
party-list representation system, to be used for the first
time in Togo.
7. On April 19 Ambassador attended a meeting of
representatives of the EU, Germany and France called by the
Resident Representative of UNDP. UNDP election experts
provided their candid assessment of the feasibility of having
an election on June 24. They advised that it would be
difficult to imagine holding an election before early
September.
8. Comment: The body politic does not seem to believe that
elections will be held on June 24, nor does it seem
particularly distressed at the possibility of slippage in the
date. The mandate for the current National Assembly expires
in October so a postponement of elections to September will
probably be generally accepted. End Comment.
DIFFILY
SIPDIS
PARIS FOR GREG D'ELIA
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KDEM TO
SUBJECT: TOGO - PROGRESS IN PREPARING 2007 LEGISLATIVE
ELECTIONS
1. Summary: The GoT and the Electoral Commission, in
consultation with the EU and UNDP, are moving ahead slowly
with preparations for the legislative elections scheduled for
June 24. According to the press, few believe the June 24
date will hold. UNDP experts say elections are not possible
before early September. End Summary.
2. On April 5, the GoT approved the CFA 18 billion (USD 36
million) legislative elections budget presented by the CENI.
The CENI received technical assistance from the UN
Development Program (UNDP). The GoT promised to cover about
CFA 5 billion (USD 10 million) of the total amount, and the
European Union promised Euros 12 million (USD 16 million).
In addition, the National Assembly passed a bill that
provides some financial support for political parties. It
also stipulates that political parties will receive bonuses
based on the number of their female candidates elected to the
National Assembly.
3. In compliance with the Global Political Accord signed
last August, the GoT signed agreements with the Benin
government and UNHCR-Benin and with Ghana government and
UNHCR-Ghana on April 11. With these agreements, the GoT
promises to provide protection and community reintegration
assistance to encourage the voluntary return of Togolese
refugees, and to enable them to participate in the upcoming
legislative elections.
4. The CENI has been making significant progress in
preparing for the elections. On March 8, in accordance with
a point in the Global Political Accord, members of the CENI
approved an internal election procedures manual. It requires
that members seek consensus in decision-making, rather than
using majority rule. At the end of March, 3,000
computer-based electoral kits, borrowed from the Democratic
Republic of Congo, arrived in Lome. On April 3 and 4, three
Belgian technical experts familiarized CENI members with the
operation of the kits. The instructors took them through
each step of the registration process, from the arrival of
voters at the registration center to the issuance of
digitally-based paper voter registration cards.
5. On AprilQ0, the CENI organized aQress conference to
inform the public about the new registration process with the
electoral kits. The process consists of entering the voter's
information into the data base, taking a photograph and a
fingerprint, printing the voter's registration card,
protecting the card with lamination, and delivering it to the
voter on-the-spot. The CENI stated that it should take less
than 10 minutes to issue each voter's card.
6. For the CENI, much work remains. The CENI will
officially install and train the 279 members of the local
electoral committees (CELIs) and a larger number of
registration officers on how to use the electoral kits and
issue voter registration cards. Training on registering a
person will take about 45 minutes. The CENI specified that
2,500 electoral kits would be earmarked for voter
registration. The CENI believes that it could take about
four weeks to issue cards to 2.3 million prospective voters,
based on the number who voted in the April 2005 presidential
election. (Note: Post thinks four weeks is extremely
optimistic. End note.) The CENI will then need to train the
CELIs and the voting office workers on how to administer a
party-list representation system, to be used for the first
time in Togo.
7. On April 19 Ambassador attended a meeting of
representatives of the EU, Germany and France called by the
Resident Representative of UNDP. UNDP election experts
provided their candid assessment of the feasibility of having
an election on June 24. They advised that it would be
difficult to imagine holding an election before early
September.
8. Comment: The body politic does not seem to believe that
elections will be held on June 24, nor does it seem
particularly distressed at the possibility of slippage in the
date. The mandate for the current National Assembly expires
in October so a postponement of elections to September will
probably be generally accepted. End Comment.
DIFFILY