VZCZCXRO3461
RR RUEHCI
DE RUEHKA #1153 1970814
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160814Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4519
INFO RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 8008
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1735
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 9178
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0032
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0830
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS DHAKA 001153 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KGOV KDEM BG
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT UNVEILS ROADMAP TO ELECTIONS BY END OF 
2008 
 
REF: DHAKA 1095 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner 
(CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda announced a "roadmap" for elections in 
a press conference on July 15.  The plan calls for national 
polls by December 2008, with staggered local elections 
beginning in January 2008. END SUMMARY. 
 
NATIONAL ELECTIONS BY DECEMBER '08 
================================== 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a press conference on July 15, Bangladesh's Chief 
Election Commissioner (CEC), ATM Shamsul Huda, announced a 
"roadmap" for holding the postponed parliamentary elections 
originally scheduled for January 2007.  The timeline calls 
for national elections by December 2008, with municipal 
elections taking place on a staggered basis beginning in 
January 2008. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Huda said a draft voter list with photographs will 
be finished and publicly posted by June 2008, followed by a 
six- to eight-week period for corrections. The final list 
will be completed and printed by October 2008.  Voter 
registration will start first in Rajshahi in mid-August, 
based on the methodology used in the voter registration pilot 
project in Sreepur (reftel).  The entire registration process 
will require 200,000 enumerators and 150,000 data entry 
personnel working out of 30,000 voter registration centers 
around the country. 
 
PARTY DIALOGUE IN SEPTEMBER 
=========================== 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Commission will begin meeting with parties to 
discuss electoral reforms in September 2007. Political 
parties will be required to register with the Election 
Commission by June 2008 to be able to participation in the 
December 2008 parliamentary elections. 
 
MANDATORY REDRAWING OF CONSTITUENCIES... 
======================================== 
 
¶5. (SBU) The CEC announced that the Commission was required 
by law to redraw constituencies -- something the previous 
government failed to do after the 2001 census. This exercise 
will run from January to June 2008. 
 
AND A TENTATIVE "NO" TO TRANSPARENT BALLOT BOXES 
============================================= === 
 
¶6. (SBU) Huda said that after close examination of the issue, 
including reviewing input international donors gave the 
Election Commission in November, they believe using 
transparent ballot boxes in the future parliamentary 
elections would be too expensive, "unsustainable," and have a 
negligible effect on the electoral process.  He added, 
however, that no "final decision" had been made, and 
international donor funding may be available to fund 
transparent ballot boxes if the Commission ultimately chooses 
to use them. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Huda added that he would request the government ease 
the state of emergency "if needed" to start holding municipal 
elections. He added that if the voter registration process 
proceeds more quickly than expected, the December 2008 
election date could be moved up. 
 
MUTED PARTY REACTIONS 
===================== 
 
¶8. (SBU) Reaction from the two main political parties was 
limited.  In reacting to the CEC's announcement, Awami League 
Presidium member Motia Chowdhury said preparations for the 
next elections were taking too much time and complained 
(incorrectly) that the CEC failed to mention anything about 
the Awami League's demand for transparent ballot boxes. 
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Joint Secretary Ashraf Hossain 
expressed support for the roadmap, though he added an 
official BNP reaction would be forthcoming. 
PASI