Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TEGUCIGALPA1909
2007-12-14 16:51:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Cable title:  

UN MAY PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT IN NEXT HONDURAN

Tags:  PGOV KDEM PREL HO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTG #1909 3481651
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141651Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEGUCIGALPA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7414
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCAACC/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//J5// PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUMIAAA/USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY
UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001909 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL HO
SUBJECT: UN MAY PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT IN NEXT HONDURAN
ELECTIONS

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001909

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL HO
SUBJECT: UN MAY PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT IN NEXT HONDURAN
ELECTIONS


1. On December 13, 2007 The United Nations Development
Program (UNDP) Resident Representative, Rebeca Arias, called
a meeting of the G-16 plus the Organization of American
States (OAS) to discuss the November 2009 general elections
in Honduras. Since 2005, the OAS has been assisting the
Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) in several technical areas,
but believes it is precluded from overhauling the entire
system and then assisting in the counting, as it would give
the negative appearance that it were serving as both "judge"
and "jury." As a consequence, the OAS advised the TSE to
officially request technical assistance from another entity.
The TSE thus officially requested assistance from UNDP, which
brought its foremost elections expert, Colombian Carlos Mario
Valenzuela, to Honduras for a ten-day evaluation.


2. During his trip, Valenzuela visited with the TSE and the
National Register of Persons (RNP),in addition to other GOH
Ministries and various non-governmental organizations. On
December 11, the press quoted Valenzuela as saying that the
UNDP is considering providing technical assistance to the GOH
to avoid the slowness of the transmission of results that
occurred in the 2005 elections by creating a mechanism that
would permit rapid and timely results of primary and general
elections. Valenzuela later told us the UN would hope to
provide information technology and other technical assistance
to both the TSE and the RNP, with the first goal to begin
cleaning up the voters list. He opined that the Honduran
political parties are terrified of technological advances,
and predicted they would be resistant to any change. Despite
this, UNDP Honduras now will go to the Political Office of
the UN to request that they approve this project in Honduras.


3. With the move by the parties to shift the internal
elections to November 2008 (instead of February 2009) this
gives the TSE, with the help of the UN, three fewer months to
get the lists in shape. Valenzuela estimated the first phase
of the UN technical assistance project would cost USD 300
thousand, which Arias said the UNDP should be able to cover
with Swedish money already in the pipeline. The second phase
would cost approximately USD 3 million, and the UNDP will be
looking for donors to contribute to a general fund or agree
to take and fund subsections of the project if it is approved
in New York.


4. Comment: The UN evaluation, which will be forwarded to
WHA/CEN via email, was spot on. The system is sufficiently
weak that it might not survive a truly contentious
election/election result, so the money would be well spent on
supporting these institutions. End Comment.
FORD