DEBY ON ELECTIONS; ERC SEEKS IC COMMENTS ON CIVICS

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000458 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR AF/C NSC FOR GAVIN LONDON FOR POL - LORD PARIS FOR POL - BAIN AND KANEDA ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID CD SUBJECT: DEBY ON ELECTIONS; ERC SEEKS IC COMMENTS ON CIVICS TEXTS REF: A. N'DJAMENA 441 ¶B. N'DJAMENA 410 ¶1. (SBU) President Deby announced this morning, in an interview from Paris with RFI, that Chad's legislative elections will take place in 2010, and its presidential elections in 2011, without recourse to the biometric census that has been discussed here in recent months. Deby said that his reasons for deciding not to pursue the biometric option included that such a process was too technically sophisticated for Chad. ¶2. (SBU) Meanwhile, Chad's Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) held a meeting October 19 to exchange views on messaging for two upcoming civil awareness education campaigns ("missions de vulgarisation"; see reftels) to help prepare citizens for elections. The international community has been asked to comment on proposed materials to be used in meetings that the ERC will have with citizens along the routes of two tours, the first to Hadjer Lamis, Lac, Kanem, Bahr El Ghazel, Batha, Guera and Salamat (lasting from October 26 to November 10), and the second to Mayo Kebby Est, Tandjile, Mayo Kebby Ouest, Logone Occidental, Logone Orientale, Mandoul, Moyen Chari and Chari Bagirmi (lasting from October 26 to November 18). ¶3. (SBU) The discussion points (e-mailed to AF/C, along with details of the two planned trips) that will form the basis of the civic awareness education tours consist of factual materials on the August, 2007 Accords between the Chadian government and opposition; descriptions of the respective roles of various organs of state such as the CENI; briefings on electoral principles such as the neutrality of the state, the role of political parties and civil society, etc.; copies of relevant texts such as Chad'e Electoral Code; and factual information about Chad's recent population census. ¶4. (SBU) We plan to inform the ERC that we have no objection to the materials presented to us, but add that we feel they could usefully be augmented with simple hortatory points encouraging the people of Chad to become involved in activities related to elections; to vote; and to keep in mind that their own actions can affect Chad's future course. Our comments are requested by October 21; our proposed response tracks with what French and EU counterparts plan to convey to the ERC. ¶5. (SBU) The October 19 ERC meeting also involved considerable discussion of the budgetary difficulties facing Chad, the ERC, the CENI, etc. With the EU having agreed to fund portions of the civic awareness education campaigns, ERC members are eager to know whether the U.S. is in a position to provide assistance. DCM made clear that we were not presently at a point in our funding cycles when assistance could become available easily, let alone immediately. ¶6. (SBU) We advised the ERC to prepare concrete project descriptions, with budgets, to share with USAID electoral funding experts expected here in mid-November. We also made clear that the U.S. would be likely to look most favorably on projects that clearly helped educate the Chadian citizenry. ERC Chairman Ahmat Mahamat Karambal pointed out that the ERC, although a government organization, was in many respects quite like an NGO, in that it was multi-party, neutral, and had as its aim improving citizen awareness and the functioning of civil society. NIGRO