BENIN: DESIGNING A PERMANENT COMPUTERIZED VOTE REGISTRY: A

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000802 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/W ACOOK LONDON FOR PETER LORD PARIS FOR BKANEDA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL BN SUBJECT: BENIN: DESIGNING A PERMANENT COMPUTERIZED VOTE REGISTRY: A CHALLENGE? ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On December 10, the Head of the European Commission delegation to Benin, Ambassador Elisabeth Feret, in conjunction with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Office and Financial and Technical Partners (FTPs),officially presented to President Yayi a feasibility report on the design of a Permanent Computerized Vote Registry (LEPI) ahead of the 2011 presidential and legislative elections. The report provides updated financial, technical and legal details of the long-planned LEPI. The experts that carried out the study proposed that a couple of provisions in the current Beninese Election Law be amended to adjust to the LEPI's requirements. They also addressed the need for reaching political consensus and popular acceptance as a prerequisite for a successful completion of the LEPI. While President Yayi has demonstrated commitment to putting the LEPI in place to ensure transparent elections in 2011, Post is concerned that its creation could be hampered by the current deadlock in the National Assembly and the perceived indifference of political leaders to the project. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On December 10, President Yayi received the LEPI feasibility report at the Presidential Palace before a large audience composed of Beninese Ministers, parliamentarians, high-ranking officials, and members of diplomatic missions accredited to Benin including Ambassador Brown. Ambassador Elisabeth Feret, Head of the European Commission delegation to Benin, briefed participants on the content of the report, stressing that the LEPI is technically feasible before the 2011 elections. However, she said that Beninese authorities would need to proceed with the revision of the Beninese Election Law, no later than March 2009, in order to meet the deadline for accomplishing the LEPI. In his speech, President Yayi acknowledged that it was a must for the Beninese people to have fair and transparent elections which would strengthen democracy. Finally, he pledged that he would do everything in his ability to meet the deadline by having deputies amend the election law. It is notable that the handover was organized under the auspices of Mrs. Lea Hounkph, Permanent Secretary of the National Independent Electoral Commission (SAP-CENA) and formerly President Yayi's Minister of Technical Education, and Vocational Training. �00A; ¶3. (SBU) The U.S. Embassy has been identified as a Technical and Financial Partner (TFP) to the LEPI's project. Consequently, Mission representatives have attended TFP meetings since 2006. On December 9, the European Commission delegation sent the Embassy, an embargoed electronic copy of the 83-page report. The report elaborated on an initial study conducted by the Canadian International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES) in 1998 and on other successive updates funded jointly in 2000 by USAID and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and UNDP, in 2003 by UNDP, and in 2004 by DANIDA. The methodology that the experts have proposed to develop the LEPI comprises a general population census with the registration of individuals aged ten and over, to allow an anticipated management of a national voter registry over several years. The registration will be based on Beninese citizens' personal, nominative and biometric details. A National Processing Center is planned to be created in order to centralize data collected from the 77 communes. The process will end up with the printing and distribution of voter cards. ¶4. (U) The report highlights the necessary amendment of Article 11 of Act No 2007-25 of November 23, 2007 related to the general rules that govern elections in Benin, which requires Beninese citizens to register on presentation of identity cards. Obviously, this specific provision will prevent a large majority of Beninese who do not possess identity cards from being registered under the LEPI. Legislators will also need to revise Article 15 of the same Act. This article contains a conflict of responsibility between the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENA),a body named for each election and in charge of voters' registration, and the Permanent Secretary of the Commission (SAP-CENA) which is responsible for computerizing and updating the voter registry between two elections. The revision of Article 15 is expected to clarify the issue as to which body will actually be tasked with supervising the implementation of the LEPI. ¶5. (SBU) In the framework of the LEPI, TFPs are donor countries and international organizations that support the implementation of the LEPI. These include the United States of America, France, Belgium, China, Denmark, the Netherlands, the European Commission and the United Nations Development Program. While the provisional budget for the LEPI amounts to approximately 320,000,000 US Dollars, the EU has contributed 7,050,000 US Dollars, UNDP about 200,000 US Dollars, Denmark around 2,397,000 US Dollars and the Netherlands 2,820,000 US Dollars. The other donors including France, Belgium and China are expected to financially support the effort. So far, the USG has not committed financially but Post has demonstrated USG interest in the COTONOU 00000802 002 OF 002 project. ¶6. (SBU) During a TPFs' meeting at the office of the European Commission Delegation on December 5, Mrs. Feret said that political leaders whom the Commission has consulted for sensitization and lobbying have demonstrated little enthusiasm for the LEPI. A case in point is the total indifference that Adrien Houngbedji, the leader of the Democratic Renewal Party (PRD) showed when the experts briefed him on the LEPI. Most opposition leaders believe that President Yayi will control the LEPI for his own benefit. ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: Post is not certain that the LEPI will be implemented before the 2011 presidential and legislative elections as a consequence of the increasing tension between President Yayi and the opposition. The design of the LEPI requires broad-based consensus, which is currently lacking in the Beninese political sphere. Elections in Benin have always been marred with allegations of fraud and irregularities. The 2011 presidential and legislative elections may not differ much from past elections, or turn out worse, if the GOB fails to guarantee a transparent and efficient voter registry. END COMMENT BROWN