GHANA ELECTORAL COMMISSION CONFRONTS OPPOSITION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000339

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SNAR GH
SUBJECT: GHANA ELECTORAL COMMISSION CONFRONTS OPPOSITION
CONCERNS OVER INFLATED VOTER REGISTER

REF: A. ACCRA 188


B. ACCRA 325


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. In a February 29 meeting with Poloffs,
Albert Kofi Arhin, Director of Elections for Ghana's
Electoral Commission (EC),outlined the EC's revised schedule
of activities in preparation for December presidential and
parliamentary elections. The EC has scheduled nationwide
voter ID replacement to begin March 14 and new voter
registration for May, representing a one-month delay from
previous plans. Poloff subsequently attended a March 4
meeting of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC),an
important EC-led forum for dispute resolution that had last
met in May 2007. During the IPAC meeting, the EC refuted
National Democratic Congress (NDC) allegations that voter
registration numbers have been vastly overstated in New
Patriotic Party (NPP) strongholds in the Ashanti region, and
presented "official" data contradicting the NDC numbers. The
EC and political parties agreed to a joint investigation into
the data discrepancy. During March 6 Independence Day
celebrations, President Kufuor appealed to the EC to continue
its record of impartiality and transparency. The EC has also
appealed to donor organizations to fill a USD 12 million
funding gap, despite previous indications that the GOG would
fully fund the 2008 Elections. END SUMMARY.

Voter Registration and ID Replacement Scheduled
-------------- --


2. (U) POL Chief met February 29 with Albert Kofi Arhin,
Director of Elections at the Electoral Commission, to discuss
preparations for the December presidential and parliamentary
elections. Arhin presented the EC's updated schedule of
activities, indicating that the EC will begin replacing lost
and damaged voter ID cards on March 14. The exercise will
occur at the district level, covering approximately 5,000
polling stations. The EC plans to dispatch "mobile units" in
larger geographic areas to access a broader section of the
population. The EC will also pay particular attention to the
northern regions, where they expect a higher than average
number of replacement requests due to last year's flooding
and property damage.


3. (U) Arhin stated that new voter registration is scheduled
for May 8-17. This represents a one-month delay from
previous EC plans (see Ref A). The EC said it expects
approximately one million new registration requests this
year, based on a review of census data (citizens are eligible
to vote at age 18) and an estimate of first-time registrants.
(NOTE: The last voter registration drive occurred in 2006,
despite a constitutional requirement for annual registration,
and added approximately 600,000 new voters to the register.
END NOTE)

IPAC Revived, Voters Register Discrepancies Addressed
-------------- --------------


4. (SBU) On March 4, the Inter-Party Advisory Committee
(IPAC) assembled after a 10-month period of inactivity.
Convened by the EC, the meeting was attended by
representatives from all major political parties as well as
representatives from Ghana's development partners (including
Poloff). (NOTE: The United Renaissance Party (URP) boycotted
the March 4 meeting on the basis of foreign donor presence.
END NOTE) During the meeting, EC Chairman Dr. K. Afari-Gyan
presented the commission's schedule of activities for the
coming months, outlined the EC's approach to voter ID
replacement in March, and responded to NDC allegations of
irregularities in Ashanti region voter registers. Afari-Gyan
presented a summary of Ashanti voter registration numbers to
IPAC attendees, with data showing that growth in Ashanti
voter registration averaged 6% in 2006, consistent with
national averages.


5. (SBU) (NOTE: On March 4, a pro-NDC newspaper published
allegations of voter registration irregularities and accused
the NPP of vote rigging. Using data reportedly obtained from
the EC, the NDC calculated that 13 constituencies in Ashanti
(a NPP stronghold) witnessed more than 100% growth in
registered voters between 2004 and 2006, while increases in
the remaining 217 Ghanaian districts averaged only 5.5%. The
NDC presented similar allegations to Poloff in a February 27
meeting. The NDC stated that the EC provided the data on a
CD-ROM following a formal NDC request last year. END NOTE)


6. (SBU) Afari-Gyan emphasized that the EC figures represent
"authentic data" from the official EC voter register. It is
unclear why the data presented by the NDC differs
significantly from the official EC numbers and whether the
data discrepancy occurred on the EC or NDC side. Following
heated debate among the political parties, the EC agreed to

ACCRA 00000339 002 OF 002


cooperate with the political parties to investigate the
discrepancy.

President Kufuor Urges EC Neutrality, Transparency
-------------- --------------


7. (U) In his March 6 Independence Day speech, President
Kufuor expressed confidence in the EC's integrity but urged
the EC to manage upcoming elections "with impartiality,
neutrality, and transparent honesty" to ensure that results
are respected by political parties and all Ghanaians. Kufuor
also appealed to political parties and citizens to assume
responsibility for a peaceful election process.

EC Budget Shortfall Projected
--------------


8. (SBU) The EC and Ministry of Finance have reported a USD
12 million budget shortfall this year and, in February,
approached donors to fill the government's financing gap.
This request came despite indications to development partners
in 2007 that the GOG would fully fund the Electoral
Commission for the 2008 polls. (Ref B). Preparations for the
December elections are somewhat behind schedule relative to
past election years. However, the EC claims budgetary
considerations have not hindered operations to-date, despite
delays in ID replacement and registration activities.


9. (SBU) COMMENT. The EC has commanded widespread respect
from political parties, civil society organizations, and the
Ghanaian public. However, in several key areas of
preparation for the 2008 elections, the EC has fallen short,
including unexplained delays in launching election
registration activities, and its limited communications with
political parties. For example, the important decision not
to implement the controversial overseas voting law was
announced in the press before it was communicated to
political parties. Nevertheless, the EC's leadership appears
accessible to addressing requests and concerns from the
parties, and the long-overdue resumption of regular IPAC
meetings will demonstrate the strength of this commitment,
providing a critical forum to address inter-party problems
and a key channel for communications during an expectedly
contentious campaign. END COMMENT
BRIDGEWATER