Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ACCRA1317
2008-10-10 11:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Accra
Cable title:  

CLEANSING THE VOTER REGISTER -- STRONGER SOAP

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREF PREL KDEM GH 
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VZCZCXRO3218
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #1317/01 2841143
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101143Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7097
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001317 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF PREL KDEM GH
SUBJECT: CLEANSING THE VOTER REGISTER -- STRONGER SOAP
NEEDED

REF: ACCRA 1169

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001317

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF PREL KDEM GH
SUBJECT: CLEANSING THE VOTER REGISTER -- STRONGER SOAP
NEEDED

REF: ACCRA 1169


1. (U) SUMMARY. More than 2,000 polling stations
throughout Ghana opened on October 5 to give parties and
citizens the opportunity to challenge the eligibility of
registrants. As the week set aside for this process draws to
a close, the response has been totally underwhelming. For
all of the expressed concern about bloated voter rolls and
the importance of removing ineligible voters to assure the
integrity of the December 7 election, the electorate and
parties have reacted to this exercise with a collective yawn.
END SUMMARY.



2. (U) Ghana's voter registration exercise ended August 13
with charges and countercharges that Ghana's two major
parties had inflated voter rolls by registering minors and
foreigners and double-registering eligible voters in their
respective strongholds. The Electoral Commission (EC)
admitted that the registration process had been flawed, with
a credibility-defying 290% increase in new registrants
compared to a similar exercise in 2006. The EC pledged to
correct inconsistencies by opening the voter registers at
each polling station October 5-11 to allow citizens
themselves to examine registers at the most local levels and
challenge any voter they deemed to be ineligible.


3. (U) Embassy Poloff and USAID Democracy and Governance
Officer visited approximately 20 polling stations in Greater
Accra on Sunday afternoon, the first day of the exhibition,
and then revisited several of those stations on Wednesday
afternoon. Casual workers, mostly in their 20s, manned the
stations, which generally consisted of a small table under a
tree in a school yard. Most had received 3 days of training
from the EC. All had the requisite materials: a registration
booklet with name, age, photo, and voter ID number for voters
at their polling stations, along with forms for those without
a voter ID card and forms for challenging the eligibility of
registrants.


4. (U) All poll workers reported very low turnout, about
10-15%. Almost all voters showed up only to check that their
names were on the register. Emboffs observed several
instances where voters were told that they were not on the
register and likely had come to the wrong polling station.
Other than two instances where voters pointed out that a
relative was no longer living, not a single challenge had
been leveled. POL Section's LES Political Specialist
traveled to the contested Volta Region during the exhibition,
and reported even lower turnout. Media reports and other NGO
election observers had the same findings. The Carter
Center's long term observers filed similar reports from the
two swing regions, Central and Brong Ahafo.


5. (U) Party response to the low turnout has thus far been
muted. The EC has been equally silent. Media reports on the
low turnout have been steady, but low-key and laconic.


6. (SBU) COMMENT. In light of their strong protestations
of the need to cleanse voter rolls, the silence of the ruling
New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National
Democratic Congress (NDC) about the low turnout is hard to
read. Both parties profess to be certain of victory, and
each party may be awaiting election results for the losing
party to seize upon the bloated rolls as a reason to protest
the election's validity. The EC continues to hold that there
will be no problem on election day despite their earlier
claim that the exhibition period would be vital for
authenticating legitimate voters.


7. (SBU) The bloated register does not necessarily indicate
widespread fraud. Many Ghanaians use their voter card as
their primary means of identification in the absence of any
other national identification card. It is a widely held
notion that some double registrations occur solely for the
purpose of obtaining a second ID card. The low turnout for
the exhibition, however, presents a larger concern: on
election day, those who did not verify their name and correct
polling place will not find their names on the register and
will be denied the right to vote. This could lead to delays,
arguments, longer queues, and accusations of incompetence and
fraud on the part of the EC. Failure of the police to solve
problems or keep peace at the polling stations would likely
redound upon the ruling NPP. END COMMENT






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