Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07LOME553
2007-07-26 16:07:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Lome
Cable title:  

TOGO: VOTER REGISTRATION LAUNCHES WITH SOME FLAWS

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PINR PREL TO KDEM 
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VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPC #0553/01 2071607
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261607Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY LOME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8073
INFO RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2162
RUEHCO/AMEMBASSY COTONOU 3959
RUEHOU/AMEMBASSY OUAGADOUGOU 8885
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0588
UNCLAS LOME 000553 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR GREG D'ELIA AND ROBERT KANEDA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL TO KDEM
SUBJECT: TOGO: VOTER REGISTRATION LAUNCHES WITH SOME FLAWS


UNCLAS LOME 000553

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PARIS FOR GREG D'ELIA AND ROBERT KANEDA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL TO KDEM
SUBJECT: TOGO: VOTER REGISTRATION LAUNCHES WITH SOME FLAWS



1. SUMMARY: Togo completed on July 22 the first week of voter
registration to mixed reviews. Representatives from six
political parties have worked collegially during the week to
administer the registration process, and there have been no
allegations of fraud. However, mechanical and logistical
flaws have obstructed the process in some areas of the
country. Nonetheless, with registration underway, public
anticipation of a new election date is high. Although the
Independent National Election Commission (CENI) announced
that it would recommend the new election date after
evaluating the first week of registration, it has yet to
release new information about an election date. END SUMMARY.


2. Togo launched its voter registration on July 16, following
a July 11 decree issued by the Minister of Territorial
Administration establishing a one month registration period
between July 16 and August 17. The registration scheme,
designed by the CENI, divides 29 of Togo's 30 prefectures
into two registration zones, with zone A using the first two
weeks of the month (July 16-29) to register voters. The
registration kits, which Togo has borrowed from the
Democratic Republic of Congo, will then be moved from zone A
to zone B for the final two weeks of the process (August 4 -
17). The remaining prefecture, Golfe, as well as Togo
Commune, will receive separate kits for use during the first
two weeks of the period.


3. Each registration kit includes a laptop computer, camera,
printer, small generator to charge the laptop battery (Togo
is experiencing severe power cuts nationwide),CDs, printer
paper, card lamination materials, pens, and several forms
used to document the process. After each voter's information
is entered into the computer, it produces a card with the
voter's name, photo, birth date, I.D. number, and a
computerized scanning strip. The voter card is delivered to
its owner on the spot.


4. Each voter registration station is staffed by computer
operators (although in some cases, only one operator has
shown up to work) and by a Voter List and Card Committee
(CLC). The CLC consists of seven political party

representatives, two from the RPT and one from each of five
opposition parties (UFC, CAR, CDPA, PDR, and CPP). These
party representatives work together to set up each site at
7am and close it down at 4pm each day, seven days a week.
The CLC also ensures that the registration process conforms
to the provisions of the Electoral Code, signs each voter
card, and writes a report at the end of each day documenting
the day's activities.


5. The first week saw no allegations of fraud, and CLC
members cooperated well to administer the station. In
addition, kit technicians were readily available to repair
minor technical problems with equipment. However, mechanical
and logistical flaws at some sites obstructed the process.
Some of the insufficiencies reported were as follows:

-- Delay in Deployment of Kits: At some sites, particularly
in the South, kits were not delivered until mid-morning on
the first day of registration. At other sites, they were not
delivered until the second day. As a result, some stations
were not fully operational until the third day of the
official registration process. CENI Vice President James
Amalgo explained that the delay was caused by the fact that
some kits were used until the Saturday before the
registration began to train the computer operators. Before
being deployed to registration centers, these kits needed to
be reinitialized, he said, a process that took longer than
expected. The CENI has said that it is prepared, if
necessary, to extend the registration period by a day or two
to make up for the delay.

-- Lack of Payment for CLC Members: Some CLC members at sites
have threatened to strike if their payment issues are not
resolved. CLC members were promised per diem for travel
during their pre-election training as well as a salary of
2000 CFA ($4) per day. However, none of them have received
any money. In addition, CLC members have asked the CENI for
a salary increase, requesting salaries comparable to the
daily 5000 CFA ($10) payment that computer operators at each
site will receive. In response, the CENI has issued a
communiquQ asking prefets to send the names of the CLC
members in their prefectures to the CENI in order to expedite
payment.

-- Movement of Equipment Without CENI Approval: The CENI has
pre-assigned each computer to a specific registration site.
Reportedly, some administrators have haphazardly moved
computers from one site to another, disrupting the CENI's
tracking system. Computers were moved to accommodate sites
with computers that had problems and is not associated with
any attempted obstruction of the registration process.

-- Lack of Fuel: Some registration sites reported that their
generators ran out of fuel and that CLC members had to pay
for fuel themselves. The CENI has responded by clarifying
that the generators, which were meant for charging the
computer battery, were improperly used to operate the full
kits for hours at a time, resulting in a shortage of fuel.

-- Misunderstanding about Lome Resignation Period: Lome's
registration closes at the end of the first two weeks of the
registration period, but some citizens had believed, and some
likely still believe, that Lome would be open for
registration for a full month. The misunderstanding is due
to weak awareness-raising about the procedure in Lome and
could result in low turn-out at Lome sites if corrective
measures are not taken.

-- Lack of awareness about I.D. requirements: The media and
public have criticized the CENI for not adequately
advertising the fact that citizens do not need identity
documents to register. Some sites have attributed their low
turn out to this fact. Togo's Electoral Code allows a
prospective voter to register without identity documents if a
traditional chief or two witnesses are able to verify the
voter's identity.

-- Missing equipment: Other complaints included missing or
stolen printer cartridges, CD, pens, and other kit items at
some sites.


6. Embassy Lome organized it's own internal registration
observation effort, deploying four teams of Embassy personnel
to separate geographic areas in the Maritime region. Over a
three day period (July 18-20),the teams confirmed that the
problems reported by the media and public listed above did
exist at many of the sites visited. In addition, Embassy
observers discovered other concerns. Some of the sites, for
example, had produced voter cards with blurry or dark
photographs. At these locations, some registration
administrators said they would contact the individuals
registered to re-issue their cards. The poor quality photos
resulted, in large part, from the lack of adequate light at
the sites, which are all school rooms. Moreover, the Embassy
team noted that sites in remote villages were experiencing
low turn-out. Several site administrators told Embassy
personnel that this was probably due to a lack of
awareness-raising in these areas about the registration
process. In addition, in zone B areas, where registration
will begin in one week, residents were unaware of the
registration process. Moreover, in these areas Embassy
observers did not see CENI posters or other signs of
awareness-raising efforts. The Ambassador, who observed some
of the sites himself, shared the findings of Embassy
observation teams with the CENI at meetings on July 19 and
July 23. At both of these meetings, the CENI engaged the
international community in discussions about how to find
solutions to the flaws apparent at the start of the
registration process. On July 20, the CENI issued public
notices that were broadcast and published widely and
addressed the following shortcomings: the lack of awareness
about I.D. requirements; misunderstandings about the Lome
registration period; lack of payment for CLC members; the
movement of kits without CENI approval; and the technical and
mechanical flaws observed during the start of the
registration period. An additional CENI public notice
released on the same day underscored the rule that CLC
members at registration sites can be replaced only at the
specific request of their political party.


7. COMMENT: The registration problems have been most
apparent in the Lome region, where the logistical challenges
are greatest because of the large population concentration.
Lome is also where the opposition has its heaviest
representation, thus raising suspicions of foul play. It
will be important for the GOT and the CENI to take pro-active
measures to address the registration problems as the upcoming
elections are the centerpiece of the ongoing reform process.
END COMMENT.
DUNN