NEC BRIEFS AMBASSADORS ON STATUS OF ELECTORAL PROCESS AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000739 DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A/S CARSON, AF/C, AF/E NSC FOR MGAVIN DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EAID SOCI ASEC KDEM AU UNSC SU SUBJECT: NEC BRIEFS AMBASSADORS ON STATUS OF ELECTORAL PROCESS AND ASKS FOR MONEY ¶1. (SBU) Summary: National Elections Commission (NEC) Chair Dr. Abel Alier Alier briefed the diplomatic corps on the status of the electoral process, elaborated on the complexity of this historic election, explained delays in the demarcation of geographic constituencies and voter registration, and told the audience that the budget for the election is estimated by NEC to be $1.1 billion. MFA Undersecretary Mutriff ali-Siddiq ended the meeting by appealing to all countries and donors for assistance to the NEC to carry out the planned election. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) called in Ambassadors, heads of diplomatic missions, senior UN officials and donors on June 9, for a detailed briefing on the current status of the electoral process. CDA Whitehead and the USAID Mission Director attended. MFA Undersecretary Mutriff ali-Siddiq opened the meeting, stating that the upcoming elections are a landmark event for Sudan and under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). He stated that the elections will "broaden the base of the CPA by transparent ownership of programs by the north and the south in front of all citizens." ¶3. NEC Chairman Dr. Abel Alier briefed, and then answered questions. He explained that the NEC is guided by three documents: the 2005 CPA, the 2005 Interim National Constitution and the 2008 National Elections Act. He launched into a history lesson of Sudanese elections since 1953, and made it clear that he sees this election as unique, since it is now multiparty, pluralistic, and open to political dialogue with an open field of democratic contest. He emphasized the planned elections' complexity; with elections taking place on six levels on the same day, and both proportional and direct voting. The NEC is currently in the process of demarcating geographic constituencies, work that is linked to the census results. Dr. Alier admitted that the demarcation started late, and is behind schedule, mainly because of the late release of census results. ¶4. (SBU) To manage the electoral process, the NEC has established four standing committees and a secretariat. Dr. Alier announced that the NEC estimates the total budget needed for the elections is $1.1 billion. When asked whether the NEC has the capacity and funding to carry out such an ambitious and costly project, the Chairman noted that they are building capacity with help from international experts, and that although the NEC has received assistance from the U.S., UN and other donors, it still does not have the funding needed for the elections. ¶5. (SBU) Dr. Alier stated there is now an electoral high committee established in each of the 25 states, plus one for southern Sudan. Each high committee has one chair and four other members. He announced a major training workshop on June 16 to brief all high committee members in Sudan on election roles, rules and process. He acknowledged that media will play a major role in the elections. To coordinate work with the media, the NEC has established a new media center. The Chairman stated that the NEC is bound by the election law and the ethics of its work to invite and welcome local, regional and international election observers. So far, a number of observer organizations have responded, with Dr. Alier citing the Carter Center, funded by USAID, as the major international observer. He stated that the NEC recognizes the observers' rights and obligations, including ensuring their right to travel anywhere in the country and their right to security. ¶6. (SBU) Dr. Alier made it clear that the NEC has the authority and mandate to work with political parties, and that it has had several useful meetings with many of Sudan's current 61 registered political parties. The parties have voiced concerns to the NEC regarding, for example, the openness of the process of demarcating geographic constituencies and the planned registration of voters. He mentioned that some political parties have requested NEC funding, with the response that funding is outside of the NEC mandate and that the parties should speak to the government. ¶7. (SBU) The Chairman admitted there have been delays, and this may affect the election's timing. The timeframe set by the NEC two months ago indicated final results in February 2010. Alier did not mention any new dates, but did say that if the timing for the final results does change, they would let us know. ¶8. (SBU) Responding to a question following the briefing on the concern of one party to the CPA (i.e. the SPLM) on the census results, the Chairman stated that three weeks ago the NEC had been called to the Presidency to receive the final census findings and results, and that the entire Presidency attended, including the President, first Vice President and Vice President. It is those KHARTOUM 00000739 002 OF 002 census results that the NEC is using for to demarcate constituencies. Further, the Chairman stated that there is talk of the findings and power sharing, and he thinks that this should be discussed between the parties at the CPA political committee level. Asked whether the NEC feels that free and fair elections can take place in Darfur given security concerns, the Chairman stated that if there are cases where elections cannot be conducted because of security concerns, they can be postponed, as has been done in previous Sudanese elections. In response to a question of female representation, Dr. Alier said that women can compete in the geographical constituencies as well as on political party lists for the 15 percent proportional seats for political parties, as well of course as the 25 percent proportional seats in the national assembly for women. ¶9. (SBU) MFA Undersecretary Mutriff Ali-Siddiq concluded the meeting by requesting assistance and contributions from the participants for the elections. The NEC had hoped to have contributions of 30 percent of its needs by now, and they are well short of that. It is unclear how much of the $1.1 billion budget will be contributed by the Government, although Dr. Ali Siddiq did say that the government has contributed in 2009. ¶10. (SBU) Comment: The Government and the NEC clearly used this broad diplomatic community elections briefing both to raise awareness that there have been delays in the electoral process and to probably expect delays in the elections results, and to make a plea for funding from the broad diplomatic community. Dr. Alier's briefing was thorough and useful, with even MFA's Ali Siddiq saying they learned a lot during the briefing. At the NEC Policy Committee meeting with major donors and the UN last week, the NEC used the same language as the Chairman used today in describing the delays, saying that they are still moving the process forward, but warning that the NEC is seriously considering delaying the election itself without giving a firm date. Further, given the significant size of the proposed $1.1 billion election budget, the Government and NEC are obviously concerned about obtaining outside funding. Mission will continue to monitor closely the complex elections timetable and process and the work of the NEC to maintain needed momentum. WHITEHEAD