ELECTORAL COMMISSION LAYS OUT TIMELINE FROM NOW TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABIDJAN 000290 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM IV SUBJECT: ELECTORAL COMMISSION LAYS OUT TIMELINE FROM NOW TO ELECTION DAY REF: ABIDJAN 120 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Independent Electoral Commission President Mambe briefed Ambassador May 2 on the Commission,s timeline for meeting the November 30 election date. Voter registration will take place for a 45 day period in July-August; the time before and after will be devoted to ensuring that the necessary modalities are in place to register voters and to validate the electoral list after the registration period closes. Mambe used the occasion to also thank Ambassador for USG funding to NDI, which played a central role in developing the Code of Good Conduct signed by the political parties during UNSYG Ban ki Moon,s recent visit to Abidjan. End Summary. INS-SAGEM-CEI STILL NEED TO ESTABLISH WORKING CONDITIONS -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador and PolCouns called on Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) President Robert Beugre Mambe on May 2 to discuss how the Commission planned to carry out its mandate to coordinate the work of Sagem, the French company that is to issue ID and voter registration cards, and the INS (Institut National de Statistique) which has registered voters in the past. According to a decree signed by President Gbagbo on April 14,(ref A) the CEI will resolve any disputes between the INS and Sagem. Mambe told Ambassador that he was not yet certain of how the three organizations (CEI, INS and Sagem) will work together. The three were to meet on May 6 in a session that Mambe will chair to hammer out the details. The CEI president did not, however, seem overly concerned about the issue. He implied that the obstacles had always been political rather than technical. HOW THE ELECTORAL LIST WILL BE COMPILED -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Turning to the central question of who will be able to vote, Mambe discussed at length how the electoral list will be compiled. The 2000 electoral list will be the starting point for the 2008 electoral list. Ambassador asked if all the political parties had agreed to this proposition and Mambe assured her that they had, noting that all parties had been given an opportunity to challenge the list and that each and every issue raised was addressed by the CEI and the INS. However, no names were added to or removed from the 2000 list. Mambe explained that every voter on the 2000 list will still need to register and be documented to vote in the 2008 election. The only advantage is that individuals on the 2000 list will be presumed to be Ivorian citizens. The 2008 list will also include persons who were over 18 in 2000 but who, for whatever reason, were not on the 2000 list and persons who had reached the age of 18 by March 31, 2008. Individuals can register by presenting a birth certificate or replacement birth document (jugement suppletif) issued by the mobile courts (audiences foraines) or a copy of a birth certificate if the relevant registry was destroyed and had to be reconstituted. According to Mambe, reconstitution of civil registries will begin soon. ¶4. (SBU) Mambe said that any individual who presents him/herself to register and has a birth certificate or jugement suppletif will be registered. Dubious cases will be checked against national files already in existence. He noted that the Working Group on Identification will determine which such files will be utilized. Mambe told Ambassador that the CEI plans to publish the electoral list three months prior to the election, regardless of the fact that the law only requires the list to be published one month in advance. The list will also be posted on the internet to give political parties and the general public an opportunity to review it before the final list is presented to the government. Mambe confirmed that the revised electoral code provides that any individual can contest the inclusion of any person on the list, as well as the failure to include any person. The CEI examines and resolves every challenge. If the challenger is dissatisfied with the CEI's findings, he can appeal to a court, which has 8 days in which to render a decision. Mambe said all challenges must be resolved before the CEI gives the final list to the government. ANTI-FRAUD MEASURES -------------- ¶5. (SBU) To reassure the political parties and the general public that the identification/registration process will be fair, personnel from CEI, INS, the National Office of Identification (ONI),the National Supervisory Commission on Identification (CNSI),and Sagem will be present at all registration sites. Mambe conceded that guidelines covering ABIDJAN 00000290 002 OF 002 how this profusion of agencies will work together still need to be established, but was confident that the presence of so many entities would be a significant deterrent to fraud, as well as to any effort at discrimination. Individuals may register to vote at any site in the country, but they must select and stipulate at what location they will cast their votes. The CEI, ONI, and CNSI representatives will receive registration forms and supporting documents. INS and Sagem will take applicants' biographic and biometric information. Mambe explained that each registration site will daily print out a list of persons registered that will be cross-checked against applications submitted. The list will be forwarded on CD-ROMs to coordination centers which will transmit them to three sites in Abidjan: an ONI, a CEI one, and a central site. Mambe said that the coordination centers and the 3 Abidjan centers will also all have personnel from CEI, ONI, CNSI, INS, and Sagem. Determining Citizenship - the Biggest Potential Pitfall -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) All persons enrolled on the 2000 list are presumed to be Ivorian citizens. Mambe underscored that the Ouagadougou Political Agreement (OPA) provides that only a birth certificate or replacement birth certificate is needed to register to vote. These documents do not state the holder's citizenship, but do include his/her parents' citizenship. Should a question arise about a registrant's citizenship, Mambe said that one way people who are not on the 2000 list could prove citizenship would be to show that one of their parents is on the 2000 list. The CEI will verify or determine citizenship in other cases based on national files already in existence as noted in para 4 above. Mambe noted that persons who have certificates of nationality or other documents indicating citizenship, such as an expired national ID card, can show them when registering to vote to avoid having their registration challenged. Mambe admitted, however, that determining citizenship will be the most difficult challenge for the CEI. He was keenly aware of the need to demonstrate that cheating does not take place while simultaneously ensuring that legitimate voters are not disenfranchised. Timeline to Election -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Mambe said the personnel and machines needed for voter registration will be in place by the end of June. He expects voter registration to be conducted for 45 days between early July and mid-August. The CEI will strive to publish the draft electoral list 3 months before the election, but can shorten that time period if it encounters problems. According to Mambe, voter cards will be issued 15 days before the election. ¶8. (SBU) Comment. The timeline outlined by the CEI seems doable, if all the necessary equipment is in place by the end of June. The CEI appears to be playing it safe by allotting more time than required to resolve any challenges to the electoral list. Mambe,s concern about accurately determining citizenship is well-placed given that "Ivoirian identity" lies at the heart of the country's political crisis. Having all of the government institutions with responsibility for identification present at all sites involved in the voter registration process may prove to be a bit unwieldy but hopefully will accomplish the goal of making it more difficult for any party to manipulate the registration process or production of the electoral list. Having all parties accept the validity of the electoral list is a pre-requisite for having an election whose outcome is accepted by all. Post will be following this issue closely. End Comment. NESBITT