RRT ERBIL: VOTER REGISTRATION PREPARATIONS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002115 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2018 TAGS: PGOV KDEM PTER EAID IZ SUBJECT: RRT ERBIL: VOTER REGISTRATION PREPARATIONS IN ERBIL PROVINCE HAMPERED BY FRICTION BETWEEN GEO AND IHEC Classified By: RRT Erbil Regional Coordinator Jess Baily for Reasons 1. 4 (b,d) This is an Erbil Regional Reconstruction Team message. ¶1. (C) Summary: Erbil Governorate Electoral Officer, Handreen Muhammed Salih, told RRTOff and IFES Liaison Officer June 30 that the Independent High Electoral Commission's (IHEC) centralized approach to hiring, message development, and approving costs hampers his office's abilities to organize the voter registration exercise scheduled to begin mid-July. While voter registration materials have arrived, including posters and pamphlets, when we reviewed the Kurdish posters, local staff noted the word &election8 in Kurdish is misspelled. Salih also expressed dismay over the limited geographic distribution of the UNOPs voter education program. RRTOff outlined assistance that may be provided to the GEO through Quick Response Funds. Although provincial council elections are not scheduled in the Kurdistan Region this year, the voter database update is nation-wide. Elections for the Kurdistan National Assembly have been announced for June, 2009. End Summary. Erbil GEO Prepares for Voter Registration Exercise -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Handreen Muhammed Salih provided details June 30 to RRTOff and IFES Liaison Officer for Northern Iraq on the difficulties faced by the Erbil Governorate Electoral Office in preparing for the upcoming voter registration exercise. Salih, previously a training and operations manager for the 2005 elections in Erbil, explained that although he had fully staffed the 31 Voter Registration Centers (VRCs) in Erbil Province, with 12 staff per VRC, over 70 had already resigned due to the low pay of $250 per month. He was actively recruiting new staff, Salih explained, but every employee hired must be approved by the IHEC in Baghdad, greatly delaying the process. (Note: At UNAMI,s suggestion, hiring for GEOs is done in Baghdad in order to ensure non-partisanship and representativeness on the GEO staffs) ¶3. (C) On a tour he gave to RRTOff of the GEO facilities, an exasperated Salih pointed out empty office spaces in the Finance and Media Departments. He said he was waiting for Baghdad's authorization to hire two more employees for each department, and has only one person in those departments now. Salih also noted that he had sent two letters to the IHEC asking clarification on elections related issues, one as long ago as May 11, but had received no response. He pointed out that the GEOs operated with much more autonomy during the 2005 elections, and the current centralized nature of decision-making made working conditions difficult. Although the voter registration exercise is scheduled to begin mid-July, Salih said he has not received official notice from the IHEC to conduct the exercise. He expressed skepticism that the exercise would take place, as no electoral law has been passed by the Council of Representatives. IDP Registration Procedures -------------- ¶4. (C) Salih said that the voter registration form, which includes a section for addressing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),has not yet been finalized. (Note: IFES confirmed after the meeting that indeed the form has been formalized, printed, and is prepared for shipment. However this information has not apparently been communicated to Salih. End Note.) He said that each VRC will receive two lists, one for regular citizens, and one for IDPs. IDPs will have to show their food ration card to register. If they don't have one, they have to apply for a new ration card before they can register to vote. Salih said that his office put together a list of IDPs in Erbil, using information provided by the GOI Ministry of Trade, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Extra-Regional Affairs, which monitors IDPs in the KRG. Salih said that approximately 16,000 IDP families are registered in Erbil Province, of which about 6,000 are Christian. Voter Outreach Efforts Limited -------------- ¶5. (C) Salih brought out the posters, pamphlets, and stickers he had received June 29 from the IHEC to educate voters on the upcoming voter registration exercise. He said his staff would distribute the posters throughout the governorate, once Baghdad approved the purchase of glue and other supplies. He said he would also drive the supplies over to Dohuk and Sulimaniyah, as he had received the BAGHDAD 00002115 002 OF 002 supplies for the GEOs there. The posters stated &Don't Miss Election Time, Contact the Call center to Ensure Your Name is on the Registry.8 Salih had received 1,500 in Arabic, and 4,000 in Kurdish. In the Kurdish version, the word &Election8 was misspelled. He said the call center number listed on the poster, 7777, can only be dialed from AsiaCell and Zain mobile networks, while most Erbil and Dohuk residents use the Korek network. When reviewing the materials, four Kurdish attendees at the meeting expressed difficulty in understanding the point of the posters. One speculated whether contacting the call center was mandatory. UNOPs Program Falls Short -------------- ¶6. (C) Salih described the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) program for voter education. He said UNOPs awarded grants to three Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs),Hzlan Organization, Women Empowerment Organization, and Public Aid Organization to conduct voter education campaigns in Erbil Province. He said he met with the three NGOs, reviewed their workplan, and learned that their campaigns do not cover Choman, Soran, Mergasur, Koyasinjaq, Shaqlawa,and Rawanduz, i.e. all of Erbil Province outside of Erbil city. He said he asked them to revise the program to cover the districts, but they refused, saying UNOPs would not agree to a workplan revision. Salih said he had written a letter to IHEC about the problem, but had received no response. RRTOff told Salih that the RRT is reviewing a voter education outreach proposal submitted by the Kurdistan Institute for Political Issues (KIPI),and if approved, would coordinate approval of poster and pamphlet design with the GEO. Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) The voter registration exercise in Erbil Province looks to be off to a shaky start. Salih expressed clear dissatisfaction with the way the process is unfolding, with limited direction and responsiveness from IHEC. His skepticism about the process may be noteworthy, as he does have previous experience from working with the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) during the 2005 elections. It could also be the result of strained relations between the Erbil GEO and Baghdad. The RRT will explore further the relationship between the GEO and the IHEC, and also the relationships between the Kurdistan Regional Electoral Office, the electoral body which covers all three KRG provinces, and the GEOs of Sulimaniyah, Dohuk, and Erbil. ¶8. (C) The RRT will seek out options to supplement the UNOPS and IHEC voter education campaigns, through Quick Response Funds (QRF) grants to Erbil-based NGOs. Any proposal submitted for QRF will be coordinated with the Embassy Elections Working Group. Although Erbil voters will not participate in the upcoming provincial elections, this registration exercise will affect their ability to participate in future national elections, as well as in upcoming Kurdistan National Assembly elections, scheduled for June, 2009. End comment. CROCKER