AFGHANISTAN: PHASE ONE OF VOTER REGISTRATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KABUL 002722 SENSITIVE SIPDIS NSC FOR JWOOD OSD FOR SHIVERS CG CJTF-8101, POLAD, JICCENT E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL KDEM AF SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: PHASE ONE OF VOTER REGISTRATION UNDERWAY, AND NOT TOO BADLY REF: KABUL 2708 Classified By: A/DCM Alan Yu for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Phase one of the Voter Registration (VR) process began on 10/6 with the opening of VR stations scheduled in the 14 provinces of the Phase one region. VR successfully opened in 12 of the 14 provinces with only Nurestan and Ghazni experiencing some logistical and bureaucratic problems which precluded voter registration opening as planned. There were some districts where registration did not begin because of security concerns, but there were no security incidents reported on day one. Despite the problems in Nurestan and Ghazni, the opening of voter registration in the 14 other provinces is a victory for Afghanistan in its first attempt at administering its own election process. In fact, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) has performed better than expected. -------------- VOTER REGISTRATION BEGINS -------------- ¶2. (U) Phase one of Afghanistan's VR process began on 10/6 in some of the most mountainous regions of the country, with the objective of registering as many Afghans as possible in those regions before winter arrives. Phase one provinces included Ghowar, Dai Kundi, Ghazni, Sari Pul, Bamiyan, Wardak, Logar, Parwan, Kaplea, Panjshir, Takhan, Badekshan, Kunar, and Nurestan. Registrants who are expected to participate in this process include: 1) New voters who will reach 18 years of age before the elections; 2) eligible voters who have not previously registered; 3) eligible voters who have lost their registration cards; 4) eligible voters who have moved to a different province; and 5) eligible voters who have returned to the country since the last registration period. -------------- STATUS IN PROVINCES AT END OF FIRST DAY -------------- ¶3. (C) Embassy Kabul and PRT officers tracked developments in the VR process throughout the first day. Below is a summary of status of VR in the 14 provinces as of the close of the first day at VR centers: a. NURESTAN: VR did not begin in any of Nurestan,s eight districts. The IEC delivered replacement VR materials to Nurestan on 10/4, following a 9/27 incident in which unidentified gunmen stopped a truck and destroyed Nurestan,s entire complement of VR materials (reftel). UNAMA and the ANP are coordinating efforts to deliver VR materials to district voting centers by 10/9. b. KUNAR: VR materials were delivered on time to all but two districts (Narai and Chapa Dara). The materials for Narai district will arrive on 10/9 and VR will begin on 10/10. VR began in Chapa Dara district on 10/7. VR centers are running in all other districts. Turnout was lower than expected, with only 25-30 people registering on day one. Turnout for women has been very low. PEO was satisfied with the progress on day one. There have been no security incidents in Kunar, and no threats thus far. c. LOGAR: VR sites are open in all districts except Kharwar, due to insecurity / threats by insurgents. The VR centers in Kharwar will open on 10/7. 70-80 people have registered in Pol-e-Alam, the capital of Logar, while an average of 30-35 people registered in outlying districts. Turnout of women was low. PEO is satisfied with progress. d. GHAZNI: VR sites opened at 1500 hrs on 10/6, due to logistical and transport problems. VR materials have been delivered to all but a few districts, which will receive their materials in the coming days. Those offices will open for VR as soon as the materials are received. e. WARDAK: VR sites in the capital and most outlying districts opened as scheduled on 10/6. Security concerns in Jaghatu and Jalrez districts prevented VR from beginning there on the first day. 70-80 people registered on day one in the capital, with another 15-20 in the outlying districts. f. BAMYAN: A total of 1,380 people registered to vote in Bamyan (the first two being the Governor and Chief of Police) on the first day, despite very little public information on KABUL 00002722 002 OF 003 the VR process. The Waras district VR centers did not open because materials did not arrive on time. The Afghan National Police (ANP) is trying to secure mobile registration efforts for the district. g. DAI KUNDI: The Provincial Election Officer (PEO) reported that the VR process began on time on 10/6, and people seemed eager to register. 25-30 have registered the districts, with more than 50 registering in the capital. There have been no security incidents or threats thus far. h. GHOWR and SARI PUL: VR process is up and running, with both men and women registering. 50-60 people have registered in each capital, with another 30-40 registering in the outer districts. Per the PEO, there has been little public education on the VR process in Sari Pul. i. PANJSHIR: VR process is up and running. Approximately 150 people from the capital, and 60-70 in the districts, registered on the first day. There have been no security threats or incidents in the province. POLAD reports that in one district, women's VR sites were moved without notice to a less convenient location two miles away from their planned site. i. PARWAN: VR process began as scheduled. Approximately 1,141 people from across Parwan registered on 10/6, including 200 women. There have been no security threats or incidents in these provinces. Security went very smoothly throughout the day. There are numerous billboards and posters up around the capital city of Charikar. The Command and Control center (C&C) in the provincial capitol is functioning well, with ANP, Afghan National Army (ANA), National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Coalition Forces (CF) representatives present. i. KAPISA: VR process is up and running. Over 150 people have registered in the capital, with an additional 60-70 people having registered in the districts. There have been no security threats or incidents in these provinces. VR billboards and signs are visible throughout the northern part of the province, but are more rare in the south. The Governor of Kapisa was the first person to register in the country, having registered in the capital city of Mahmud-e Raqi at 0815 hrs. k. TAKHAR: VR process began at most of the 162 VR sites. In Rustaq District, however, approximately 200 supporters of current Takhar Province parliamentarian (and former Jamiat-e-Islami commander) Piram Qul demonstrated on 10/3 demanding dismissal of current VR personnel, and appointment of local "vetted" personnel. The IEC regional coordinator traveled to Rustaq on 10/7 to attempt to resolve the problem. The IEC agreed to rehire VR staff from a list prepared by local district elders. The new staff would then be required to take an exam. This will delay the VR process in Rustaq for an unknown period. Lack of registration sites in most remote areas is also a concern, with some people having to travel over 50 KM to register. Mobile registration is being considered for those areas. l. BADAKHSHAN: VR process is up and running at all 160 VR sites. Two of the sites are dedicated to registering the nomadic Kuchi tribesmen. Over 100 people have registered in the capitols and districts of these provinces. Residents seem eager to register. There have been no security incidents or threats in either province. -------------- INDEPENDENT ELECTION COMMITTEE (IEC) -------------- ¶4. (C) The IEC has opened its own Voter Registration Operations Center (VROC). Although it was initially staffed with only two officers, it is now fully operational. The IEC has placed an officer at the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) National Police Coordination Center (NPCC) to facilitate coordination between the MOI and ANP. USG mentors and liaison officers continue to meet with IEC personnel, and monitor the progress of IEC operations as the VR program continues. Despite what appears to be a relatively smooth start, a number of challenges exist: a. Delivery of basic office items such as furniture, telephones, generators, and other basic supplies has been slow, with many provincial and district offices missing this equipment. The offices are making do however in most cases. KABUL 00002722 003 OF 003 b. A District Field Coordinator (DFC) in Kunar province was shot and killed on 10/5 while on his way home from IEC training. Police now believe his murder was unrelated to his DFC status, but believe it may have been over a personal or family dispute. c. There are significant security concerns with IEC's headquarters. USAID (staff and contract partners),UNDP, and IFES are working with the IEC to explore options for improving security in the short-term at the IEC compound. The UNDP has established a data backup system for voter registration information. USAID will continue to seek additional info on UNDP and IEC's contingency planning for dispersal of data to prevent its destruction in case of an attack on IEC data systems. DELL