PRT LASHKAR GAH: HELMAND ELECTIONS UPDATE

UNCLAS KABUL 001661 DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM, INL/AP STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MCAP MOPS SNAR PREL PGOV PTER PHUM KDEM AF SUBJECT: PRT LASHKAR GAH: HELMAND ELECTIONS UPDATE ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On June 22, Helmand Independent Election Commission (IEC) Provincial Electoral Officer Engineer Hadi spoke to registered Provincial Council (PC) candidates to describe campaign and elections procedures. His deputy, Abdul Samad, addressed District Field Coordinators (DFCs),noting their roles, responsibilities and resources during the process. Hadi concluded the session with a strong warning that any corruption would not be tolerated. IEC regional director Wosi and UNAMA officials from Kandahar also attended the sessions, and UNAMA officials described general plans to open an office in Lashkar Gah in the next few months. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On June 22, IEC Provincial Electoral Officer Engineer Hadi spoke to Provincial Council (PC) candidates and outlined campaign guidelines. Hadi told the candidates that it is their responsibility to educate voters about the PC's role and about their goals if elected. He also stressed that enemy forces do not want the election to go well, and candidates must ensure that the people of Helmand understand that the election represents an alternative to Taliban governance. Hadi's key points on the mechanics of campaigning included that no GIRoA resources could be used for campaigning and that candidates must secure permission from property owners before posting campaign posters. The subsequent question and answer session was lively, with candidates asking about sending their own observers to polling stations, to which Hadi responded that candidates must register any monitors with the IEC within 45 days. Hadi also noted that no GIRoA resources will be devoted to those monitors' security or transport. Participants asked if filled ballots could be brought to polling stations on behalf of people unable to reach the polls, and about any limits on candidates inviting voters to meals as part of their campaigns. ¶3. (SBU) Following the talk to PC candidates, Hadi's deputy Abdul Samad spoke at length to recently-recruited DFCs who will work with police to identify polling stations. (Note: Although most of the PC candidates departed after the first session, roughly 10 candidates remained to listen to the DFC session.) Samad told DFCs that although they will work under the direction of the IEC in Lashkar Gah, the DFCs must coordinate closely with local Chiefs of Police and District Administrators in the areas to which they are assigned, particularly during the initial phase of identifying the location of polling centers. Samad noted that DFCs will have the authority to change the location of polling centers (from the original list used in the 2004 election) if alternate locations are more accessible, but that they must inform the IEC if they decide changes are necessary. He also told them that they must secure agreement from the line directors of the Ministries of Health and Education if they wish to use a school or clinic as a polling center. About transportation, Samad told DFCs that 2-3 DFCs will be allocated one vehicle and each 2-3 person team will be responsible for 5 polling centers. A question arose as to whether there would be a senior DFC for each district, but neither Hadi nor Samad knew the answer and said they would seek clarification from Kabul. ¶4. (SBU) The DFC session concluded with a lengthy pep talk from Hadi and Kandahar-based regional IEC head Wosi, who both praised the DFCs for their bravery in stepping forward to work in such a capacity. Eng. Hadi also stressed their responsibilities, noting the DFC's responsibility to ensure voting access so communities can have a say in their future. Hadi concluded with a strongly-worded warning about corruption and transparency, saying that any reports he might receive of wrongdoing on the DFCs' part would not be ignored, but rather he would ensure that they were prosecuted. ¶5. (SBU) UNAMA officials from Kandahar traveled to Lashkar Gah to attend the sessions and to scout potential compounds for a new office planned for Lashkar Gah. The UNAMA security officer told PRToff that the simplification of transportation in and out of the city made possible by the new Bost Airfield has bolstered the argument for a move to Helmand, and finding a suitable compound is now the urgent issue. He reported having inspected several compounds, and identified the most promising as the compound currently occupied by USAID implementing partner Chemonics, which is scheduled to wrap-up its projects and move out of the province in the next few months. The security officer told PRToff that if Chemonics could leave in place air conditioners, generators, and other key infrastructure when they departed the compound, UNAMA could stand-up its office much more quickly. He said it was his understanding that the equipment in question belonged to USAID and that USAID could leave it in place by donating it to UNAMA.