PRT DIYALA: ELECTION OFFICIAL POINTS TO FRICTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002308

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2019
TAGS: IZ KDEM PGOV
SUBJECT: PRT DIYALA: ELECTION OFFICIAL POINTS TO FRICTIONS
WITH IHEC

Classified By: Diyala Team Leader George White for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The head of Diyala,s Governorate
Elections Office (GEO),Mr. Amer Latif Mujiid, asserted that
voter registration preparations for the upcoming January 2010
national elections in Iraq are proceeding as planned in
Diyala; however, questionable security plans and his ongoing
distrust for and clashes with his senior management at the
Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in Baghdad could
lead to disruptions. Despite these concerns, he continues to
stress that he has the necessary staffing and logistical
support to implement the voter registration process smoothly.
End Summary.

SUNNI GEO LEADER RETAINS POSITION
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2. (C) In a series of recent meetings in Diyala, PRToffs have
heard complaints about IHEC from Amer Latif Mujiid, who has
served as the head of the Diyala GEO since 2005. Mr. Mujiid,
a Sunni, faced controversy after the January 2009 provincial
council elections, and received what he considered to be a
biased letter of reprimand from IHEC, when the major Shi,a
parties blamed their poor showing at the polls on fraudulent
elections (reftel). He said, however, that while IHEC
wanted him to be a scapegoat, they needed his expertise and
had no choice but to keep him on board for the upcoming
national elections. He also mentioned that IHEC did fire
several of his staff members in Khanaquin for voting
irregularities during the provincial elections -- actions
that he unsuccessfully attempted to appeal last April.


VOTER REGISTRATION PREPARATIONS IN DIYALA
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3. (C) The GEO also reviewed with PRToffs the preparations
that took place in advance of voter registration in Diyala.
(Note: The Voter Registration Update began nationwide on
August 22.) In general, he said that the preparations had
been adequate and that he had received adequate support from
IHEC in Baghdad to hire necessary staff and equipment. Mujiid
reported that he had 41 workers on staff, up from 24 for the
provincial elections.


4. (C) In addition to voter registration preparation, the GEO
is working on training and initial voter education outreach
efforts. He said he was overseeing training updates for five
GEO directors located in Baqubah, Khanaquin, Muqdadiya,
Khalis, and Kana,an. The GEO and these five directors
provided an interview to the local Iraqi cable station,
Digila, on voter registration procedures and said he
encouraged other channels to also carry the interview. The
GEO also stated that he signed a contract for voter
registration posters to be created and placed in governance
centers around the province.

COMMENT
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5. (C) Mr. Mujiid demonstrated very good technical and
organizational capacity during the provincial elections, and
his skill set likely helped him maintain his position. Having
managed two province-wide elections, he reportedly has more
experience than many other GEO managers in Iraq.
Nevertheless, friction with central IHEC officials could
undermine his ability to commandeer the necessary resources
for smooth elections in Diyala. For the moment, he is getting
the job done in Diyala. End Comment.
HILL