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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BASRAH 000149 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM IZ
SUBJECT: DESPITE MINOR HICCUPS, SUCCESSFUL ELECTION IN THE SOUTH 
 
¶1.  Summary:  December 15 elections in Basrah and the other 
three southern provinces generally ran smoothly and without many 
signs of significant fraud or security incidents.  Basrah 
Regional Embassy Office (REO) Iraqi Provincial Action Officers 
(IPAOs) visited three polling centers in the morning and 
afternoon in Basrah city.  Basrawis interviewed at polling 
stations in the city proclaimed the day a success and spoke 
optimistically about the future.  Voting irregularities in the 
southern provinces included Iraqi police campaigning for the 
Unified Iraqi Alliance (List 555) and attempting to influence 
voting in Basrah, Maysan, and Muthanna provinces. 
"Family-style" voting, where a head of family accompanied family 
members behind the voting booths and voted for them, occurred 
throughout Basrah.   Polling center managers were inconsistent 
in their handling of cases involving unregistered voters.  The 
violence of December 14 in Nasiriyah, where the headquarters of 
Ayid Allawi's Iraqi National Accord party and the Communist 
Party were attacked and burned, was not repeated on election 
day, although anger simmered among the predominantly Shia 
population concerning Al Jazeera's alleged slight against 
Ayatollah Sistani.  End Summary. 
 
Security, Stability, and Peace 
 
¶2.  Voting in Basrah, Maysan, Dhi Qar, and Muthanna provinces 
ran smoothly on December 15 with isolated irregularities and no 
reported signs of significant fraud, security incidents, or 
technical problems.  Polling stations opened and closed on time 
in all four provinces.  REO Basrah IPAOs visited three different 
polling stations in Basrah in the morning and again in the 
afternoon.  A festive atmosphere reigned within some polling 
centers, with blue and white ribbons from the Independent 
Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) cut into banners and 
festooning the ceilings.  Voters, dressed in holiday clothes, 
socialized in the corridors of the polling centers.  Many voters 
spoke freely to IPAOs about their opinions of the election and 
for whom they had voted.  One voter, when asked why he thought 
the elections were important to his family, answered, "For 
stability and security, to get rid of the terrorists and to 
build a free, independent Iraq."  Registration and voting 
procedures went smoothly, and in several stations handicapped 
individuals in wheelchairs and on crutches were assisted into 
the polling centers in Basrah and Umm Qasr.  Outside, traffic 
restrictions wiped the roads clear of cars, and groups of small 
children played in the streets. 
 
Iraqi Police Involved in Irregularities 
 
¶3.  Although generally calm, IPAOs observed some irregularities 
at polling stations in Basrah.  At one Basrah polling station, 
an Iraqi man told the IPAO that an Iraqi police car parked 
outside the polling station had been blaring "Vote for 555" up 
until their convoy arrived on scene.  The loudspeaker was 
abruptly shut off when the international observers appeared. 
The editor of Al Samawah newspaper in Muthanna province reported 
that he had seen police putting up posters of "555" and Sadr in 
the city.  A reporter from Al Hurra news in Maysan reported to 
the REO that Iraqi police trucks were blaring directives to vote 
for 555 from their loudspeakers.  REO Basrah received a report 
from a Danish non-governmental organization (NGO) worker of a 
disturbance at a polling station in Basrah (No. 927007) around 
12:30 that resulted in the center being emptied out for about 
10-15 minutes by Iraqi police.  The Basrah IECI Director Hazim 
Joda explained that the center was closed so that the police 
could arrest three intoxicated individuals. 
 
Elections "Family-Style" 
 
¶4.  Another IPAO observed "family-style" voting inside two other 
polling stations.  Male heads-of-household escorted one or more 
family members behind a voting booth and either pointed out 
which candidate to vote for or blatantly completed all the forms 
himself while IECI personnel watched passively.  After observing 
a husband filling out his wife's ballot for her, the IPAO asked 
the IECI polling station manager why this was allowed. 
"Illiterate family members are permitted to have another family 
member assist them in voting," was the IECI official's answer. 
After the couple had finished voting, the IPAO drew the wife 
aside and asked if she had trouble reading the ballot.  "Not at 
all.  It was very clear and perfectly legible," was the answer. 
The IECI official simply shrugged. 
 
Unregistered Voters Try Their Luck at Different Polling Stations 
 
¶5.  Reports from observers in Basrah indicate that there was no 
unified policy being applied by IECI polling center managers to 
instances involving voters who do not appear on registration 
lists and who wish to vote.  One observer estimated that about 
1,000 individuals in Basrah wished to vote but did not appear on 
registration lists and did not know where to go to seek help.  A 
Danish NGO observer reported that in at least one case an 
unregistered voter turned away at one polling center finagled 
being allowed to vote elsewhere.  Some center managers in Basrah 
instructed unregistered voters to go to a "special" polling 
center along with proof of identity and citizenship where they 
could vote.  Other reports indicated that some unregistered 
voters are simply turned away with no guidance. 
 
Al Jazeera Remarks on Sistani Spark Anger 
 
¶6.  A December 14 Al Jazeera report was thought by many to have 
made disparaging remarks about Ayatollah Sistani, resulting in 
angry crowds attacking and destroying Allawi's headquarters and 
the Communist Party headquarters in Nasiriyah, Dhi Qar, that 
same day.  On December 15, voters continued to express anger and 
displeasure about Al Jazeera's remarks, but no further violence 
was reported.  In Maysan province, groups of protesters chanting 
support for 555 and against Al Jazeera were reported outside of 
some polling centers, but voters were otherwise left alone. 
 
Demonstrations, Rallies and Irregularities 
 
¶7.  A demonstration outside a polling center in Basrah was 
reported by a Danish NGO observer, who said that the station's 
IECI manager appeared to be attempting to calm the situation 
down.  At another Basrah polling station, an observer reported 
that voters were being intimidated by 555 supporters outside the 
center and directed to vote for 555.  The polling center manager 
made no effort to stop this activity.  In Az Zubair, a rally of 
150 people against the 555 coalition was reported by another NGO 
worker.  Party activists handing out flyers for 555 were noted 
inside one polling station.  The polling station manager 
reportedly removed the activists. 
 
Short Lines, Long Distances 
 
¶8.  Wait time to vote varied.  In most Basrah stations, there 
was either no or a minimal wait, while in Muthanna province 
lines of up to 100 people were reported.  Even these long lines 
were moving along smoothly, however, and voters used the 
occasion to socialize.  In a Sunni area of Basrah, some people 
stated that they had to walk long distances to reach the polling 
centers, while in others, individuals who had managed to secure 
vehicle passes reportedly gave rides to people who needed to get 
to their voting stations.  Al Hurra television reported that 400 
employees in the North Alrymella oil field were unable to vote 
because they could not travel to the polling stations where they 
were registered because of IECI travel restrictions and because 
they had not been granted permission from the Baghdad IECI to 
vote at the nearest polling center. 
 
Observers and Media 
 
¶9.  Observers were present in many of the polling stations. 
Most observers were from the NGO "EIN," although observers 
representing Da'awa, Fadillah, the Unified Iraqi Alliance, Sunni 
parties, and the Artists' Union also were noted.  Al Iraqiya 
radio and TV were present and observed the voting in several 
stations.  Al Arabiya TV broadcast interviews with Basrah 
Governor Mohammed Wa'eli, who encouraged voters to vote for the 
Fadillah party.  The Basrah Chief of Police General Hassan 
Sewadi and the Basrah IECI Director also were interviewed and 
expressed their pleasure at how the vote was progressing. 
 
Security 
 
¶10.  A high level of police presence was observed throughout the 
provinces and in Basrah in particular.  Around 10 Iraqi police 
manned each polling center, with more police on the roads at 
major intersections.  Police cars in Basrah were nearly the only 
moving vehicles in town.  All adults entering polling centers 
were searched by Iraqi police.  No one was allowed to enter 
polling centers with cell phones or cameras.  A table was set up 
outside centers where people could check their cell phones and 
cameras and pick them up when finished.  Men and women were 
searched separately but voted in common areas. 
 
Polling 
 
¶11.  Basrah TDY PAO collected polling data from a local media 
NGO.  AFAQ reported collecting 881 responses from Basrah 
province, including Khor Al-Zubair, Al-Fao and Umm Qasr.  The 
data should not be considered scientific, but rather a version 
of anecdotal reporting.  Reported data included:  43.81 percent 
of the respondents voted for the 555 list, with 21.11 percent 
for 731.  The poll reported that 49.04 percent indicated that 
'family values or morals' were the most important issues 
affecting their vote, with 34.39 percent indicating 'security.' 
When asked what the most important personal issue was affecting 
their vote, 56.98% indicated 'religious values'.  Of the 
responses, 58.91 percent came from men and 41.09 percent from 
women.  Only 15 percent of the responses came from college 
educated individuals.  More extensive poll data from AFAQ on 
Maysan, Muthanna and Dhi Qar provinces, as well as Al-Manarah 
Newspaper and Radio Shinasheel, is being processed and will be 
reported septel. 
LATIMER