AMBASSADOR VISITS FOREST REGION - LACKLUSTER

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 000153

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ELAB PHUM KDEM GV
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR VISITS FOREST REGION - LACKLUSTER
APPROACH TO ELECTIONS



1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Ambassador Carter visited N,Zerekore
during the week of April 20-25 to familiarize himself with
Guinea,s forest region and evaluate local progress towards
legislative elections later this year. Both local government
authorities and the Prefectoral Independent Electoral
Commission (CEPI) had no plan in place for organizing
elections, nor any mechanism for coordinating election
activities. While civil society and youth leaders complained
about weak governance and displayed little hope that the
country's elections could be transparent, they seemed to be
almost completely disengaged from the process. There was a
general "wait and see" attitude with little to no apparent
civic action or leadership from those best positioned to push
for a free and fair process. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) The Ambassador's week-long trip to the Forest Region
included a visit to a Chinese owned logging company, the
UNHCR refugee camp in Kouankan, and an impressive state-owned
agricultural plantation near Guinea's border with Liberia
(all to be reported septel). Local meetings in N'Zerekore
focused on local government authorities, the prefectoral
electoral commission, civil society, and youth associations.
The Ambassador also visited an impressive, modern medical
clinic operated by American missionaries. The USAID
Director, Pol/Econ Chief, Poloff, and DCM OMS also
participated in the visit.

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERSPECTIVE
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3. (SBU) The Ambassador,s meetings with the local
authorities, including the Governor, Deputy Governor,
Prefect, and Mayor, indicated a need for increased
communication and coordination between the local government
and the Prefectoral Independent Electoral Commission (CEPI).
The Ambassador pressed the Governor to frequently and
publicly assert the government's neutrality with respect to
upcoming elections in order to generate confidence on the
part of the population. The Ambassador also emphasized that
the Governor needs to take the lead in establishing a
community mechanism for dialogue and coordination on
elections, stressing that such a mechanism needs to be
established immediately rather than waiting until a few weeks
or months before election day. The Governor acknowledged
his role in the upcoming elections and agreed to emphasize
his neutrality, and to establish a mechanism for coordination.


4. (SBU) In a separate meeting with the prefect of
N'Zerekore, the Ambassador made the same point about the
importance of government neutrality. The prefect, who had
joined the Ambassador for dinner, said that he was
broadcasting just such an announcement on local radio that
evening. He immediately called for a radio and had the mayor
tune in to the station until the Ambassador heard the
broadcast. The prefect said it was the first public
announcement he had made, but that he plans to make more. On
the subject of elections, he told the Ambassador that the
local government will work with the CEPI to organize
elections, but that he is the final authority for his
prefecture. "For example, I will make the decision about
whether to close the roads and who can be on them," he said.
The Ambassador pointed out that observation teams and CEPI
members would need to be able to travel. The prefect quickly
agreed, but stressed that it was his job to make the official
determination, in order to ensure security on voting day.

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CEPI WAITING FOR DIRECTION
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5. (SBU) The Ambassador met with the CEPI executive officers
to discuss their progress on organizing the upcoming
elections. The group had been sworn in on March 31, but still
lacked operating resources, including a local office.
Acknowledging the lack of funds and a local plan of action,
the members claimed to be waiting for direction from the
National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) in Conakry.
When asked by the Ambassador if they thought the election
would be free and fair, the group was not optimistic. They
expressed serious concern that the people of the region would
not accept the election results and become violent. When
pressed by the Ambassador and POLCHIEF to not wait until
after the election to take action, CEPI promised to begin
working with civil society and the authorities in order to
coordinate preparatory activities.


CONAKRY 00000153 002 OF 002



6. (SBU) The CEPI also expressed fears that the Prefect would
not allow them access in order to count votes, and that they
could be jailed for trying to monitor the elections. They
provided an example of an election monitor that was arrested
and detained for trying to observe the elections in 2002. The
CEPI requested that the American Embassy help protect them
during the elections. The Ambassador noted that unlike
previous elections, the upcoming legislative elections are to
be co-managed by the Ministry of Interior and the CENI. The
Ambassador said that they (the CEPI) needed to take up their
role directly rather than sit passively and take instructions
from the Prefect.

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PASSIVE CIVIL SOCIETY AND YOUTH
--------------


7. (SBU) When the Ambassador met with local youth leaders,
participants complained that the region's young people are
generally ignored by everyone until an elections campaign
gets underway. They said that the political parties
manipulate the youth, promise to represent them, and then
abandon them when the elections are over. They also
complained about the lack of information available about the
upcoming election. When the Ambassador and POLCHIEF
questioned the youth leaders as to what they were doing to
ensure a transparent electoral process, they had no answer.
One of the youth leaders even said that &the youth are
passive and prefer to be observers.8 The Ambassador urged
them to take action, emphasizing that the voters have a
critical role to play in ensuring a fair process.


8. (SBU) The meeting with civil society leaders demonstrated
a similar passivity regarding the elections. They complained
about the lack of transparency within the political parties,
pointing out that because of the national list system, when
people vote for a party, they do not necessarily know who the
eventual elected representative will be. Meeting
participants also said that a lack of private media in the
region poses challenges for a free and fair process. They
emphasized that women need to be actively involved in the
electoral process, both as candidates and as citizens.
PolChief told participants that all of the political parties
have told the Embassy that they will make sure at least 30%
of their candidates are women, and another 30% youth.
PolChief urged civil society leaders to hold the parties to
their commitment. A female participant agreed, but said that
it would be difficult to find female candidates who are
literate.


9. (SBU) Civil Society leaders exuded the same passivity as
the youth leaders and did not offer any suggestions as to how
they would ensure the elections occurred and were fair. When
pressed by Polchief to take action, they looked confused as
to what their role should be. One of the civil society
leaders claimed that the overall passivity of the population
is a result of a culture of fear, which is a legacy of the
Sekou Toure regime. Polchief challenged that assumption,
pointing out that the country's youth do not carry the same
legacy. The Ambassador pressed them to take action, and the
civil society leaders promised to communicate with other
groups to ensure coordination.

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COMMENT
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10. (SBU) The prefect is a former military officer and has an
authoritative, domineering manner. By contrast, the governor
seemed meek and very deferential to everyone around him,
including his subordinates. These personalities, coupled
with the overwhelming passivity on the part of civil society
and the local population, suggest that organizing free and
fair elections in the forest region is going to be a
challenge. The key is pressure from civil society, but they
seemed to lack both the motivation and the initiative
necessary to advance the process. Everyone expressed a
somewhat muted hope for the elections and the positive change
they can bring if effectively organized, but contacts seemed
to be in a &wait and see8 mode. With elections only six
months away, there was very little happening on the local
front. END COMMENT.

CARTER


CARTER