GHANA--EC CRITIQUES REGISTRATION, NPP LAUNCHES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001103

DEPT FOR AF/W
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF KDEM PREL PHUM GH
SUBJECT: GHANA--EC CRITIQUES REGISTRATION, NPP LAUNCHES
CAMPAIGN

REF: A. A. ACCRA 01058

B. B. ACCRA 01048

ACCRA 00001103 001.3 OF 002



1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The Deputy Commissioner of the Electoral
Commission expressed concerns about the recently finished
voter registration exercise. He acknowledged questions about
the integrity of the voter roll following allegations of
under-age and multiple registrations. The New Patriotic
Party (NPP) held its annual convention and introduced its
vice-presidential candidate to the party faithful. END
SUMMARY.

EC Offers Critique of Voter Registration
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2. (SBU) USAID Ghana's Democracy and Governance Office Chief
attended a meeting called by the Ghana Electoral Commission
(EC) on August 15. EC Deputy Commissioner David Kanga
briefed development partners on the recently completed voter
registration exercise (REFTEL B). Kanga began by saying that
an estimated 2-3 million people registered during the
thirteen day exercise. This number is far in excess of the
one million the EC had anticipated to have become eligible
since the last exercise, in 2006. The EC's expected number
was based on an estimated population growth rate of 3% per
year and an expected 150,000 older first-time registrants.
Kanga said that the EC is concerned about a "bloated" roll,
including multiple and underage registrants. Kanga said that
the EC would meet in the near future with the Inter-Party
Advisory Committee, civil society and other stakeholders to
discuss approaches to purging the registry of ineligible
voters.


3. (SBU) The EC's Kanqa added his concern about the role of
the political parties in the registration exercise, saying
that he believed the parties encouraged underage and multiple
registrations. Kanga, who has extensive international
experience, likened the recent exercise to the 2007 election
in Nigeria, which he witnessed. He also expressed concern
over the lack of action by the security services, who were
often present but who failed to enforce the law (REFTEL B).
Kanga theorized that party representatives observing the
registration process in their opponent's strongholds may have
not complained about irregularities out of fear for their
safety.


4. (SBU) Kanga said that the EC is encouraging civil society
groups to participate as election observers. He added that
the EC also welcomes and encourages international observers,
and asked that donors by September 15 give an indication to
the UNDP of the scale of the observer missions that each
embassy plans to field. (Note: The UNDP is organizing the
international observer process. End Note.). An official of
the UK High Commission said that they plan to deploy
twenty-five teams of two observers each. Kanga explained that
the EC is exploring ways to transmit election results more
quickly, to forestall potential election related conflict. He
noted that Ghana Telecom, the local fixed line provider, has
estimated that it would cost about $1.5 million to connect
the 230 district constituency offices to the main EC center.


5. (SBU). According to Kanga, the EC is preparing a
supplementary budget for the Ministry of Finance to cover the
higher than anticipated cost of the registration exercise.
He added that he expects the Ministry to appeal directly to
the donor community for support of the EC.

The NPP Holds Its Convention
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6. (SBU). POLOFF attended the New Patriotic Party's (NPP)
annual delegate convention August 16 in Takoradi, in Ghana's
Western Region. The meeting was an opportunity for the party
to "outdoor" or introduce its vice-presidential candidate,
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. Dr. Bawumia, the deputy head of the
central bank, is a technocrat not well known to the party
faithful (REFTEL A). Party officials used the meeting of
delegates to revisit the party's accomplishments, in a series
of detail oriented speeches that failed to hold the attendees
attention. Party unity was a sub-theme of the event,
reflecting the inter-party conflicts of the presidential and
parliamentary candidate selection processes. Party National
Chairman Peter Mac Manu opened the event by reminding the
faithful of the need to both maintain party discipline and
support for NPP candidates. Neither Presidential Candidate
Nana Akufo-Addo or VP candidate Bawumia spoke during the
first day session. Bawumia was present, and received a polite
but unenthusiastic response from the audience. Late in the
day President John Kufuor addressed the session, and received
a warm response as he outlined the accomplishments of the

ACCRA 00001103 002.2 OF 002


past eight years. He praised Bawumia's youthfulness and
financial expertise. The two candidates spoke the next day
at a large rally in Takoradi, where Bawumia was introduced as
the VP candidate.


7. (SBU). Going on the theme of "We Are Moving Forward," the
NPP released its election manifesto. The platform focuses on
the achievements of the party, while also calling for
expansions of programs begun by the NPP government. For
example, the manifesto calls for free senior high school
education, expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme,
expansion of the National Youth Employment Program (a job
creation program) and a doubling of the number of police
officers. The manifesto also calls for the creation of a
cabinet level "drug czar" to head a more powerful Narcotics
Control Agency. To further economic development, the
manifesto calls for an Industrial Development Fund and a
Northern Development Fund, each to be capitalized with USD $1
billion. Transport, housing and agriculture would also
receive more resources under an Akufo-Addo administration.


Comment
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8. (SBU) COMMENT. The Electoral Commission Deputy Director's
frank admission of problems with the voter registration
exercise is a positive step. The Commission still needs to
implement measures to restore confidence in its impartiality,
but a plan to review the voter rolls for "bloated"
registrations is a positive step, and working through the
Inter-party Advisory Group is the best approach toward
reaching a consensus for cleaning the rolls. END COMMENT.
BROWN