INVESTOR IN ID CARD BUSINESS GIVES HIS TAKE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TIRANA 000207

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2019
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL AL
SUBJECT: INVESTOR IN ID CARD BUSINESS GIVES HIS TAKE

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOHN L. WITHERS II FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d
).


1. (C) In a March 27 meeting with Ambassador, the Amcit
President and CEO of the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund
(AAEF),which has a 25 per cent stake the French company
Sagem's concession to produce the voter ID cards, went to
great lengths to explain that the AAEF is not at fault for
delays in the ID issuance process. In an overview of the
process, he said that of the approximately 737,000 citizens
without passports (according to the GOA's voter registry
list),only about 400,000 actually require voter ID cards. He
believes that most of these people will get their IDs in time
to vote. Of the remaining 300,000 plus names on the
registry, according to him, 200,000 have left Albania and are
unlikely to return for fear of losing their status in other
countries, others are incorrect entries, and still others are
citizens in smaller regions who do not care about elections
and will not vote.


2. (C) Currently Sagem is producing 15,000 cards a day, but
after the election crunch ends on June 15, the AAEF estimates
that Sagem will produce less than 3,000 a day. He said that
Sagem has received 350,000 applications and printed 230,000
cards, but only 50,000 citizens have actually picked up their
cards. He said some people who have applied are confused and
do not know that their cards are ready to be picked up. He
also added that the SP's recent calls for free IDs have
slowed applications considerably because people are waiting
to see if they will indeed be free. (Note: Senior SP
strategist Kastriot Islami admitted this problem as well. End
note.) Finally, he said that PM Berisha is aiming at having
1.2 million cards issued prior to the elections; a target
AAEF believes is achievable.


3. (C) Comment: In mid-2008, the GOA granted the French
company Sagem a concession to produce biometric ID cards and
passports. Despite the fact that AAEF has no management role
in Sagem, it is clearly concerned that it could somehow be
blamed for flaws in the process. Defensive throughout the
meeting that he requested, the AAEF President said it is not
the AAEF's responsibility to encourage people to apply for
cards. These numbers from the AAEF may be the most accurate
at this point and differ considerably from some recent GOA
pronouncements that 300,000 people have received ID cards.
Numerous hurdles remain, such as the opening of distribution
centers, but it seems that most voters who need and want an
ID will be able to get one, if they apply soon.


4. (C) Comment Cont'd: Nevertheless, it also seems almost
certain that a sizable number of voters will not have ID
cards come election day, whether by choice or because of
bungling on the part of Sagem or the GOA. Many voters are
unable or unwilling to pay the approximately 12 dollar fee
for the cards, while others who don't plan on voting in any
event may not bother to apply for cards until after the
elections. (Note: The GOA claim that its recent reduction of
the fee -- in essence, a poll tax -- is so much legerdemain:
the applicant is still required to pay the full sum up front
and to be reimbursed later, thus still effectively
disenfranchising those without ready cash to spare. The
burden is particularly onerous on typically large Albanian
families containing several voting age adults. End note.) In
this case, whichever side loses the elections may well point
to this group of ID-less voters and cry foul, claiming that
it was their supporters who were disenfranchised by the lack
of IDs.
WITHERS