VZCZCXRO3061
RR RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNJ #1382/07 3341813
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301813Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4640
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 1329
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 0438
RUEHDS/AMEMBSSY ADDIS ABABA 0880
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 067
RUEHLC/AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE 0951
RUEHLO/AMEBASSY LONDON 1609
RUEHNM/AMEMBASSY NIAMEY 2874RUHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 2047
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIOLI 0370
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 1427
RUEHBS/SEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0932

UNCLAS SECTION 07 OF 08 NDJAENA 001382 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS 
 
E.O. 12958:   N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM CD
SUBJECT:  CHADIAN ELECTIONS IN 2007 
 
 
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NDJAMENA 11301382  007 OF 008 
 
 
already stretched thin along the 
eastern and southern borders, would 
be hard pressed to provide security 
at every polling station or offer 
even modest assurances of safety for 
international observers in the border 
regions.  Finally, the provision for 
press censorship banning reports on 
rebel activities and communal 
violence contained in the current 
State of Emergency--which the 
National Assembly extended on 
November 24 for six months--would 
make it impossible for the opposition 
to discuss issues that could 
reasonably be expected to play a 
major role in a national legislative 
election. 
 
¶23.  (U)  Given the current power 
structure's incentives to retain 
power and the difficulty inherent in 
conducting free, fair, and 
transparent elections in a censored 
and volatile environment, the GOC 
would find it extremely difficult to 
conduct elections meeting even 
minimal international standards of 
credibility. 
 
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The Possibility 
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¶24.  (U)  Nonetheless, there is a 
possibility.  The Chadian government 
has begun preparing for the 
legislative elections almost a year 
in advance, which represents a 
significant improvement in its 
planning process.  The European 
Union, with the full backing of the 
French and German bilateral missions, 
has committed significant funding to 
the electoral process, as well as a 
plan that the EU believes will 
provide institutional backbone for a 
transparent election.  The European 
Commission's new Ambassador to Chad, 
Gilles Desesquelles, recently arrived 
from Togo where he participated in 
the effort to reform that country's 
election process, is committed to 
pushing the plan forward in 
cooperation with the donor community. 
The Chadian Prime Minister has 
accepted the European plan on behalf 
of the government.  Some Chadian 
opposition party leaders have 
indicated a qualified willingness to 
participate in the legislative 
elections if certain reforms are 
implemented. 
 
¶25.  (U)  Settling the framework and 
finances for the NA election gives 
the EU's experts time to develop 
voter registration procedures, 
electoral code changes, and a 
structure for the election commission 
that is acceptable to reasonable 
observers.  The experts' electoral 
timetable and progress indicators 
will give the international donor 
community and the opposition 
objective milestones by which to 
measure the government's headway--and 
 
 
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