ECUADORIAN ELECTORAL OBSERVER ORGANIZATION WILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUAYAQUIL 000097

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM XM EC KDEM
SUBJECT: ECUADORIAN ELECTORAL OBSERVER ORGANIZATION WILL
DEPLOY LARGE FORCE IN FACE OF SOME CONCERNS

REF: QUITO 283

Clas...



id: 204110
date: 4/24/2009 22:58
refid: 09GUAYAQUIL97
origin: Consulate Guayaquil
classification: CONFIDENTIAL
destination: 09QUITO283
header:
VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGL #0097/01 1142258
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 242258Z APR 09
FM AMCONSUL GUAYAQUIL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9804
INFO RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1005


-------------- header ends --------------

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUAYAQUIL 000097

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM XM EC KDEM
SUBJECT: ECUADORIAN ELECTORAL OBSERVER ORGANIZATION WILL
DEPLOY LARGE FORCE IN FACE OF SOME CONCERNS

REF: QUITO 283

Classified By: CONSUL GENERAL DOUGLAS M. GRIFFITHS FOR REASONS

1.4(B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY. In the run-up to the general elections in
Ecuador on April 26, 2009, Participacion Ciudadana (PC) has
prepared 8400 youth volunteers to serve as election
observers. In Guayas province, 1452 volunteer observers and
supervisors have been trained and equipped to assist the
organization's 30-person technical staff in monitoring the
general elections that will select candidates for 5,964
positions, including Ecuador's President, Vice President, and
members of both the National and Provincial Assemblies. In
conversations with mission officers in Quito and Guayaquil,
PC officials were largely optimistic that these elections
would be free and fair. However, our contacts reiterated
concerns about campaign finance violations on the part of the
Correa government (reftel),and the blurring of lines between
Correa the President and Correa the Candidate. PC is also
concerned about unpublicized last-minute changes to the vote
counting process that would give newly created intermediary
electoral tribunals more authority on vote counting and reduce
control of ballots and tally sheets. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) ConGen officers met with Participacion Ciudadana
Technical Advisor, Ana Fajardo, on April 20, 2009, to discuss
the organization's plans to observe the upcoming general
elections. At the national level, Participacion Ciudadana
has recruited 8400 youth volunteers; most of whom are between
18-25 years old. Nationally, Participacion Ciudadana's
30-member technical staff has led efforts to recruit, train,
and equip volunteer observers. Initial training and
information sessions in Quito with the organization's team
provided regional and provincial team leaders with the
knowledge and resources to engage local youth in their
respective electoral districts. From there, each provincial
team leader hosted information sessions, recruited
volunteers, organized an election-day simulation, and
conducted pre-election training days before the vote.


3. (C) Although Participacion Ciudadana's staff does not
expect serious deficiencies in Ecuador's electoral process,
they did express some concern about the role of the newly
created intermediary juntas, which are tasked with reviewing
tally sheets from each precinct. PC Guayaquil told us that
the intermediary juntas would have the authority to annul the
results of the tally sheets. However in an April 23 meeting,
Participacion Ciudadana contacts in Quito contradicted this
assessment and explained that the role of the intermediary
juntas would be to review the tally sheets and decide which
ones were not valid. Only the next step up the chain, the
provincial juntas, would be empowered to make the final
decision after evaluating each tally sheet recommended for
annulment. With only two days before the election, formal
rules establishing the role and scope of authority of these
intermediary juntas had not yet been released.


4. (C) PC contacts are also concerned about a last-minute
change in the chain of custody of election materials. Unlike
past elections, the tally sheets will be separated from their
respective ballot boxes and passed directly to precinct
coordinators. In the past, these tally sheets would have
traveled with the sealed ballot boxes to the provincial
juntas under military escort. By separating these tally
sheets from the ballots, the electoral council has created a
potential vulnerability in the electoral process. Further
cause for concern is the fact that this change was made at
the last minute, and has not been announced to the public.


5. (U) Since its establishment in 2002, USAID partner
organization Participacion Ciudadana has led domestic
election observation and campaign monitoring efforts. On
Election Day, Participacion Ciudadana will have a noticeable
presence. Observers will provide information to the call
center independently at three times during the day, at poll
opening (6:30 a.m.),mid-day, and poll closing (5:00 p.m.).
Instead of relying on exit poll data, Participacion Ciudadana
will conduct its own quick-count at 8,000 randomly sampled
precincts, and report this information to Quito. In case of
technical difficulties or other problems reporting to the
call center, observers can log-on online to provide their
status reports and complete the end of day quick-count.


6. (C) The role of the respected and autonomous observer
Participacion Ciudandan will be of particular importance in
these elections. Ecuador's new Electoral Council (CNE) has
yet to prove itself as a neutral body. It has not
consistently spoken out against questionable practices by the
government in circumventing strict campaign spending limits.
It has not commented on government-controlled media's
electoral coverage that has devoted considerably more air

time to government candidates. It made a serious error in
leaving out three major political parties in a sample ballot
published in Guayaquil on Sunday (reftel). The introduction
of intermediary juntas may indeed speed delivery and counting
of ballots, but it introduces a level of uncertainty into the
process, and the CNE's failure to clearly communicate the
roles and procedures of the juntas is cause for concern.

GRIFFITHS

=======================CABLE ENDS============================