VZCZCXRO8825
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHKG #1348/01 2481633
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051633Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5305
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 001348 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR CMS, SES/O, DS/IP/WHA, DS/IP/SPC FOR JIM SPOO, WHA/CAR 
(KHARNE/JTILGHMAN), USSOUTHCOM FOR BILL VANCIO 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: OAS CASC PREL PGOV JM
 
SUBJECT: JAMAICA: AMEMBASSY KINGSTON PARTICIPATES IN OAS OBSERVER 
MISSION 
 
Summary 
-------- 
 
¶1.  On September 3, 2007, National General Elections were held in 
Jamaica.  The Organization of American States (OAS) was present at 
the invitation of the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) to serve as 
impartial observers for the electoral process.  OAS fielded 38 
volunteers in two-person teams and covered 53 of 60 electoral 
districts in Jamaica.  Six Emboffs participated in the observation 
mission.  End Summary. 
 
Pre-Election training 
--------------------- 
 
 
¶2.  While OAS leadership communicated with AmEmbassy Kingston well 
in advance of the planned mission, the training for volunteers was 
held on Saturday, September 1, two days prior to the election. 
Volunteers were briefed by OAS Chief of Mission, Ambassador Albert 
Ramdin, other OAS staff members and Director of Elections Danville 
Walker.  Ambassador Ramdin thanked the governments of the United 
States and Canada for providing the funding for the OAS mission to 
Jamaica at the beginning of the training session.  All volunteers 
were given maps, a list of voting stations in their assigned areas, 
along with election training materials, and vests and hats 
identifying them as OAS observers.  The Election Organization of 
Jamaica (EOJ) provided photo identification cards for all 
participants as well. 
 
¶3.  The 38 volunteer observers represented 15 nationalities, and 
were comprised of three different groups, members of the diplomatic 
community, OAS members from off-island, and foreign national faculty 
members of the University of the West Indies, Mona campus (UWI). 
Teams were each assigned one or two electoral districts to cover 
during their day-long observation mission.  The three U.S. Embassy 
teams were all given districts in St. Andrew Parish, encompassing 
Kingston and the surrounding area, including the polling stations 
for residents living near the New Embassy Compound (NEC). 
 
Early start for monitoring teams 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  Since polling stations opened for voting at 7:00 am local time 
(8:00 am EDT), all observer teams arrived at one selected polling 
station by 6:30 am local time on Monday, September 3.  Observers 
were given specific forms to assist in documenting the voting 
process, and special notes were taken for the opening procedures. 
Each voting station was comprised of two temporary workers 
representing the EOJ, one presiding officer and one clerk.  Each 
candidate for parliament is authorized to have one authorized agent 
in place at each polling station to observe on behalf of the party. 
These agents were given copies of the voter list for the polling 
station and allowed to observe the instructing of voters and casting 
of ballots, as well as staying for the close of the polling station 
to observe the preliminary counting of votes.  (Note: while all 
voting stations visited by Emboffs had representatives of both major 
political parties, other observers noted an absence of members of 
one party in traditional strongholds or garrison communities that 
tend to support one party exclusively.  While there were independent 
candidates and at least one other small party represented in the 
election in some constituencies, none of the Emboffs observed any 
agents to represent these minority candidates at the polling 
stations. One OAS team observed a polling station that opened late 
for voting due to the late arrival of the People's National Party 
agent.  End Note.) 
 
¶5. The Observer teams were given a complete list of all possible 
voting stations, and suggested to visit as many locations as 
possible for short observations.  (Note: some large polling centers 
had as many as 20 polling stations at one central location, such as 
a church or school.  At the large locations, often different rooms 
were marked and set-up for the different voting stations.  End 
Note.)  All locations visited had a strong security presence, most 
locations had more than one police officer as well as temporary-hire 
security guards, and some locations had armed soldiers from the 
Jamaican Defense Force (JDF) present.  Agents from the major 
political parties were allowed to wear their traditional colors, 
orange for People's National Party (PNP) and green for the Jamaican 
Labor Party (JLP), but forbidden from wearing any likeness of 
candidates or logos of the parties.  Many locations had a strong 
presence of both green and orange shirts near the front gate of the 
polling stations, but no aggressive behavior or violence was 
observed by the OAS volunteers.  (Note: each party was authorized to 
have outdoor agents at each polling center to assist voters in 
finding the proper voting location.  However, in practice it was 
difficult to distinguish between outdoor agents and extra party 
supporters in the large groups of green and orange shirts.  End 
 
KINGSTON 00001348  002 OF 002 
 
 
Note.) 
 
¶6.  Observer teams covered as many locations and polling stations as 
possible during the voting hours of 7:00 am to 5:00 pm local time, 
and were instructed to witness the closing procedures of one polling 
station and monitor the initial counting of ballots cast. (Note: due 
to reporting requirements and other official duties the team headed 
by Poloff was only able to monitor from 6:30 am to 1:00 pm local 
time and not able to monitor the closing and initial counting 
procedures. Overall the three Emboff teams visited over 20 polling 
centers and over 100 polling stations during the voting activities. 
End Note.) 
 
Free and fair elections 
------------------------ 
 
¶7.  Overall the EOJ staff members, most of whom were temporary 
hires, conducted their jobs efficiently, professionally, and 
carefully.  Most polling stations opened within 15 minutes of the 
goal-time of 7:00 am, and all late openings were for legitimate 
reasons such as incomplete polling materials.  Voters were allowed 
to enter the polling stations one at-a-time.  Voters possessing a 
voter registration photo id card were checked off the list, and 
shown their ballots, instructed impartially on how and where to mark 
and fold their ballots.  Potential voters without their voter 
identification cards were verified in the voter registration, 
challenged with questions about their address and biographical 
information and then a sworn affidavit, complete with fingerprints 
was completed and signed by the presiding officer and the voter. 
The actual voting booths were cardboard lecterns with flaps on the 
sides to provide enough privacy to vote without the workers seeing 
which candidate was chosen.  (Note: as Jamaica uses the 
parliamentary system, each voter only chooses one candidate for 
their home district Member of Parliament.  End Note.) 
 
¶8.  Minor glitches were seen in a few instances, but mostly voters 
patiently waited in line to cast their votes and were able to depart 
after dipping their right index fingers in ink to mark the 
completion of the voting process.  Emboffs observed a few people who 
had difficulty finding the proper polling station to cast their 
votes, and one instance of a woman with a valid voter id card being 
told someone had already cast a vote using her name, but with the 
assistance of the supervisor of the polling center was eventually 
allowed to cast her vote. 
 
¶9.  At their final press conference on September 4, Ambassador 
Ramdin pronounced the elections "free and fair."  Emboffs who 
participated concurred with the OAS assessment, finding that while a 
few minor incidents may have occurred, overall the voting was well 
organized by EOJ and the elections were conducted in a smooth and 
transparent manner. 
 
JOHNSON