This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

141818Z Dec 05

UNCLAS AMMAN 009668 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV IZ JO
SUBJECT: IRAQ ELECTIONS OCV: VOTER TURNOUT UP ON DAY TWO IN 
JORDAN 
 
Ref:  A) AMMAN 9630  B) AMMAN 9513 
 
INCREASED VOTER TURNOUT 
----------------------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Voter turnout increased noticeably on December 14, 
the second of three days of Iraqi election Out-of-Country 
Voting (OCV) in Jordan.  Amman-based Independent Election 
Commission of Iraq (IECI) OCV chief Hamdia al-Husseini told 
Emboff at 4:00PM that voter turnout is running about fifty 
percent above that on day one (reported Ref A), which 
concluded with over 7,000 votes cast. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Embassy Amman election observer teams visited 11 
of the 13 OCV polling sites in Jordan December 14, and 
confirmed the apparent modest turnout increase.  Embassy 
observers found polling operations proceeding smoothly, 
professionally, and without incident, in an overall 
atmosphere that was generally business-like.  Embassy teams 
again noted the presence at polling stations of other 
observers, some from the UN, human rights NGOs, the 
International Mission for Iraqi Elections (IMIE), and many 
Iraqi political parties. 
 
POSSIBLE MINOR IRREGULARITIES AT SOME OCV SITES 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Embassy observers reported seeing the arrival and 
departure of mini-vans festooned with political posters 
featuring Iyad Allawi, Saleh Mutlak, and Tariq Hashemi in 
the vicinity of several Amman polling sites.  According to 
some Iraqi election staff, the vans were transporting would- 
be voters to the polls.  While not illicit by itself, one 
Iraqi journalist working for the Manchester Guardian told 
Embassy observers that he had "infiltrated" one such group, 
which he claimed consisted of paid voters.  He did not 
provide any further information, and Embassy is unaware of 
other information substantiating this allegation. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) At a second site, Embassy observers overheard one 
voter complaining to IECI staff that two men were standing 
outside the entrance to the polling center taking down the 
names of entering voters.  Embassy observers were unable to 
confirm this claim.  At a third site, Embassy observers 
witnessed a large group of men apparently attempting to vote 
twice.  They were caught, as some still had vestiges of 
purple ink showing, and others had put some cream on their 
fingers to repel the ink.  The group was not permitted to 
vote, and left the site. 
 
APPARENT VOTER CONFUSION 
------------------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU) One IECI site manager told Embassy observers that 
several voters at his site said that they wanted to vote for 
a specific person or group (e.g., "the Shi'ites"), but could 
not find it on the ballot.  The manager predicted semi- 
seriously that a large number of small parties may be the 
unintended beneficiaries of such voter confusion, contending 
that some frustrated voters ultimately marked their ballots 
at random. 
 
Hale