LEBANON: HIGH TURNOUT; POLLS CLOSE AND THE WAITING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000630

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA
ALSO FOR IO A/S BRIMMER
P FOR DRUSSELL, RRANGASWAMY
USUN FOR WOLFF/GERMAIN/SCHEDLBAUER
NSC FOR SHAPIRO, MCDERMOTT
DOD/OSD FOR FLOURNOY/KAHL/DALTON
DRL/NESA FOR WHITMAN
OVP FOR HMUSTAFA
PARIS FOR WALLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2019
TAGS: PGOV LE SY
SUBJECT: LEBANON: HIGH TURNOUT; POLLS CLOSE AND THE WAITING
BEGINS

REF: BEIRUT 629

BEIRUT 00000630 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) Polls for the June 7 parliamentary elections closed
at 1900 and vote-counting commenced. Voter turnout was quite
high. The Interior Ministry estimated that turnout reached
52 percent, 20 percent higher than the turnout in the last
parliamentary elections in 2005. Voters complained of long
lines and slow processing at the polling stations. Interior
Minister Ziad Baroud announced that he would receive official
results from the Higher Registration Committees in each of
the 26 regions sometime after midnight, and that he could
release official results right away, as they came in by
district.


2. (SBU) NDI observers reported fairly regular voting
processes. Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, as
well as some Embassy contacts, cited forged identification
cards, vote-buying, a shortage of election officials, among
other violations. The Lebanese Armed Forces successfully
contained minor, sporadic clashes between party supporters.
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood visited ten polling
stations and met President Sleiman (septel). End summary.

HIGHER VOTER TURNOUT
COMPARED TO 2005
--------------


3. (SBU) Voting crowds were heavy during the late morning
and early afternoon. Voters have complained of long lines at
several polling stations, with some would-be voters leaving
without casting their vote. Free Patriotic Movement leader
Michel Aoun, after casting his vote in Baabda, criticized
what he deemed were slow procedures at the polling station,
saying it was "not worthy of the voters."


4. (SBU) Voters in Akkar, in the north and Zahrani, in the
south complained of long lines, slow processing, missing
names on registries, and mismatches between voter rosters and
identity cards. An Embassy locally engaged employee reported
that some Shia voters in Beirut III were surprised to find
their names were not on the lists. Although Interior
Minister Ziad Baroud had authorized people whose names were
not on the lists to vote if they were able to provide valid
identification, the heads of the polling centers claimed they
had not been told this, and did not let the Shia voters vote,
we heard.


5. (SBU) Local embassy employees reported at midday the
crowds remained calm; however, NDI observers noted increasing
tension and frustration among voters, with long waits and
disorganization later in the afternoon.


6. (SBU) The Interior Ministry announced midday that
registrars at polling stations could allow three voters at a
time to enter polling centers, rather than the two previously
allowed, in an effort to speed the process. Baroud said he
would not extend voting hours nationally, but the individual
polling centers' registrars could choose to extend the hours.



7. (SBU) Turnout had slowed by 1500, prompting Baroud to call
on people who had not yet voted to head to the polls. By one
hour before polls were scheduled to close, voter turnot
reached 57 percent in Sidon, 55 percent in Zghata, and 50
percent in Keserwan. After the polls closed, Baroud said
that preliminary results indicated the Christian district of
Keserwan had the highest turnout at 70 percent, and the
nation-wide turnout was 52 percent. By comparison, voter
turnout was approximately 43 to 45 percent in the 2005
parliamentary elections.


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8. (C) NowLebanon reported more buses carrying dual
Lebanese-Syrian nationals entered Lebanon (reftel),this time
from the northern border crossings.

RESULTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED
DURING THE NIGHT
--------------


9. (SBU) Baroud stated publicly that he could announce
elections results as early as midnight Sunday/Monday or early
Monday morning. A contact at UNSCOL relayed Baroud's
conversation with UNSCOL Michael Williams during which he
said he planned to announce official results district by
district, as soon as he received the reports from the Higher
Registration Committees for each of the 26 districts.
Embassy contacts said they did not expect results until noon
on Monday.

CLAIMS OF VOTER BUYING,
OTHER ELECTION VIOLATIONS
--------------


10. (SBU) An embassy contact reported that party members
were passing out voting lists in front of polling stations in
Tripoli, in contravention of election regulations, while in
Sidon, some candidate supporters reportedly tried to enter
polling stations illegally to campaign inside. Several
individuals have been arresting on charges of forging
identification cards. A municipality leader in Sidon was
arrested for allegedly distributing gasoline coupons to
voters.


11. (SBU) Baroud denied that any forged identification cards
were successfully used and called the overall security plan a
"success." NDI reported that only two officials were present
in the vast majority of polling stations, instead of the
three workers stipulated by law.


12. (SBU) For the most part, NDI observers reported fairly
regular voting processes, including the use of transparent
ballot boxes, sealed envelopes, and permanent ink. In a
press conference after the polls closed, Aoun said his party
recorded several violations, including "shortcomings by
official institutions and registrar committees, a shortage in
staff, and tardiness of judges."

ARMY CONTAINED
SPORADIC CLASHES
--------------


13. (SBU) Local news reported sporadic clashes in several
areas, including in Sidon between Future Movement supporters
and candidate Oussama Saad's followers; in Metn between
Armenians and in Zahle between Hizballah and the Lebanese
Armed Forces (LAF),which caused some voters to leave the
polling station. Local news reported that Hizballah members
were preventing Christian voters from voting in Zahle by
blocking the roads with tires.


14. (SBU) Local news reported that the LAF intervened in a
scuffle between registrars in Rachaya, temporarily halting
voting for 30 minutes. The Internal Security Forces (ISF)
reported that several Amal Movement members broke into
Future's party office in Clemenceau and started shooting; no
reported injuries.

LAHOOD OBSERVED TEN
POLLING STATIONS
--------------


15. (SBU) Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood visited ten
polling stations in a range of districts in Beirut and north
and east of the capital. He also met with President Sleiman
(septel).
SISON