NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE PROVIDING SUPPORT IN

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 003458 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ SUBJECT: NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE PROVIDING SUPPORT IN ADVANCE OF IRAQI PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified - not for Internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Heather Therrien, Political Party Development Director for the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Iraq, outlined NDI's political party training and election observer training efforts to an inter-agency provincial election working group at Embassy Baghdad on October 28, ¶2008. During her briefing, Therrien highlighted NDI's several years of experience of working within Iraq, and the differences they have observed during this election cycle. Following her presentation, Therrien fielded questions from representatives of Multinational Force - Iraq, USAID and others. The International Republican Institute has been invited to present their Iraq program at a future meeting of the election working group. END SUMMARY POLITICAL PARTY TRAINING ¶2. (SBU) NDI began political party training focused on the provincial elections in July 2008. Through September 2008, NDI limited its political party training to more generic issues such as constituent services and party platform development. As the details of the election law were determined with its passage on September 24, NDI was able to begin training political party agents. Party agents will observe campaign and election day activities. It is imperative that they operate under a code of conduct and be fully aware of the laws determining legal and illegal activities, and are prepared to report any perceived irregularities through appropriate GOI channels. Training by NDI will enhance confidence in the system, and ensure that parties are aware of their legal recourse. ¶3. (SBU) At the request of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) of Iraq, NDI is also training party activists on the details of the election law and campaign regulations. Confronted for the first time with an open- list ballot, there is the danger that many Iraqis will not fully understand the mechanism for allocating seats in the provincial councils following the election. Such confusion raises the likelihood of accusations of fraud and corruption. Through comprehensive training, party activists are informed of the seat allocation mechanism to mitigate such protests. ¶4. (SBU) As the parties identify and register the thousands of candidates that will compete for provincial council seats, NDI anticipates initiating its candidate training program in mid-November. Candidates will be trained on messaging, campaign tactics and conduct. NDI has focused on communicating with constituents, and Therrein, who has been working in Iraq since 2004 and participated in NDI political training during the 2005 electoral season, commented that "for the first time we are seeing evidence of parties listening to their constituents and shaping messages accordingly." NEW AND EMERGING POLITICAL ENTITIES ¶5. (SBU) Therrien reported that NDI's candidate training may extend well into December as they offer opportunities to the many new and emerging political entities within Iraq. NDI has met with more than 20 such groups in the past few months. These groups have ranged in size from 3-4 individuals who have splintered off from existing parties to larger, seemingly more viable independent entities. Therrien commented that some of the smaller groups may be viable only at the local level while others may be able to compete at the provincial level. NDI is committed to working with such groups, affording them the opportunity to develop. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: NDI, and its counterpart the International Republican Institute (IRI),has been operational in Iraq since 2003, and has established a solid working relationship with both the GOI and with the many political parties and entities within the country. Their work, funded through the state Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, is designed to meet the objectives of the United States Strategy for Democracy and Governance in Iraq. While much work remains to be done in Iraq, the programs being carried out in anticipation of the provincial elections are a step forward in institutionalizing democratic political processes that resolve disputes peacefully. END COMMENT CROCKER