VZCZCXRO7499
RR RUEHCI
DE RUEHKA #0984/01 1680809
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 170809Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4333
INFO RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 7969
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1698
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 9136
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 9967
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0794
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 000984 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2017 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG
SUBJECT: CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER LAYS OUT PLAN FOR 
ELECTIONS BY END-2008 
 
Classified By: Amb. Patricia A. Butenis for reasons 1.4(d) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY. The Election Commission is preparing to 
announce a roadmap for elections in mid-July. Chief Election 
Commissioner (CEC) Huda clarified the role of the army in the 
voter registration process, discussed how planning for the 
registration process was proceeding, and assured the 
Ambassador they had a "Plan B" to ensure that nation-wide 
parliamentary elections are held by end-2008 even if the new 
photo voter list is not completed in time. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On June 13, the Ambassador held a farewell meeting 
with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda. 
POLOFF attended as notetaker.  She began the meeting 
complimenting Huda for his leadership and the transparency of 
the Election Commission since he took over in February. 
 
VOTER LIST PILOT UNDERWAY 
========================= 
 
¶3. (SBU) Huda explained the Commission's approach to 
preparing the new voter list with photographs. Most decisions 
regarding preparing the list have been made; on June 10, the 
Commission, working closely with the army, began a three-week 
registration pilot test in the village of Sreepur north of 
Dhaka.  The goal of the pilot is to determine the correct 
combination of procedures and technology to minimize the 
amount of time it will take to register an individual, and to 
see if the sequencing of steps is correct.  The data 
collection methodology was developed by a team of UNDP-funded 
consultants. 
 
"ROADMAP" IN MID-JULY 
===================== 
 
¶4. (SBU) According to Huda, after observing the pilot the 
UNDP team will submit a preliminary report to the Commission. 
 This will serve as the basis of a "roadmap to elections" 
that the CEC will announce publicly by mid-July.  The 
consultants will submit a final, detailed project document, 
including procurement needs, by the end of July. 
 
ROLE OF ARMY BEING REDUCED 
========================== 
 
¶5. (C) Huda said the army was assisting with the pilot, but 
that the Commission is in overall control.  The army 
initially got involved in the voter registration process in 
January, when it contracted with firms to develop the 
necessary software for a new enumeration.  It applied 
institutional knowledge of registration efforts, including 
military peacekeeping experience with voter registration 
operations in the Congo and Sierra Leone. On May 13, the army 
gave a demonstration to the caretaker advisers and Election 
Commission of the test software. 
 
¶6. (C) After the demonstration, Huda told Chief of Army Staff 
General MA Moeen there was a role for the army "to keep 
things organized," but the Election Commission now needed to 
assume responsibility for the registration process.  Moeen 
resisted initially, but Huda insisted, and the Chief Adviser 
backed him. Eventually, the army agreed to work under the 
Commission on this project. 
 
NEXT STEPS 
========== 
 
¶7. (SBU) After the Sreepur pilot is completed, the Election 
Commission plans to move on to two cities, Rajshahi and 
Khulna. The plan is to complete registration and hold city 
corporation elections in those two cities by the end of 2007. 
 Huda said it was important to hold elections of some sort by 
the end of the year to provide a tangible sign to the public 
that the Commission is working as quickly as possible to 
prepare the country for national elections. After Rajshahi 
and Khulna, he plans to move on to Dhaka in early 2008. 
 
A "PLAN B" 
========== 
 
¶8. (C) The Ambassador asked how confident Huda was that the 
voter list would be ready in time for parliamentary elections 
by the end of 2008.  Huda said he was "still sure" it would 
be done in time, but he also said the Commission has a "Plan 
 
DHAKA 00000984  002 OF 002 
 
 
B." 
 
¶9. (C) The Election Commission has prioritized which areas of 
the country need to be registered first, based on where voter 
fraud has been greatest.  These areas will be done first, 
with those with less past voter fraud being done later.  The 
Commission will assess the situation in summer 2008.  If 
registration has only been done in two-thirds of the country, 
elections can still be held -- the worst problem areas will 
have elections using the new list, and the better areas will 
conduct elections with some form of an updated old list.  The 
voter list with photographs will be completed in those areas 
after the elections.  "Regardless, we will have elections by 
the end of 2008," Huda assured us. 
 
COMMISSION'S INDEPENDENCE "RESOLVED" 
==================================== 
 
¶10. (SBU) Huda said the President would soon sign an 
ordinance separating the Election Commission from the Prime 
Minister's (now Chief Adviser's) Office. The lack of 
independence of the Commission -- in spite of a 
constitutional provision -- had become a major concern of the 
donor community, and the Chief Adviser "strongly supported" 
the separation. 
 
POLITICAL PARTY REFORM 
====================== 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Ambassador praised Huda for his public calls 
for a lift on the ban on indoor politics and reiterated her 
support for this as well.  Although the Commission could 
still meet with party members, Huda noted the parties could 
not meet to agree on common positions as long as the ban was 
in effect.  Huda said it was up to the government and 
military when the ban would be lifted, but "the time might 
not be right" now given the recent wave of arrests.  He 
expressed the hope it would be lifted sometime in the next 
two months. 
 
COMMENT 
======= 
 
¶12. (C) Huda's statements were the clearest assurance yet the 
Election Commission plans to lead the country to elections by 
end-2008.  The CEC was well-versed in the complexities of the 
voter registration process, and in the rare instance he did 
not know the answer to a question, he was willing to admit 
it.  Most significantly, this is the first time anyone from 
the government has discussed a back-up plan should the voter 
list take longer than planned. 
BUTENIS