VZCZCXRO4720
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #0613/01 0421157
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111157Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5040
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 8130
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 7219
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 2778
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 8917
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 4786
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 3475
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHWSMRC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000613 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM PHUM PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN ELECTION DAY BASICS 
 
REF: ISLAMABAD 07 5160 ISLAMABAD 07 5054 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. Pakistan goes to the polls on February 18 
to elect National Assembly and Provincial Assembly members. 
Polls will be open from 8 am to 5 pm; partial and unofficial 
results will be reported to the public by the Pakistan 
Election Commission beginning on February 19.  Final 
unofficial results are not likely to be issued before 
February 20.  There will be two official international 
observer missions on the ground:  USG-funded Democracy 
International will issue its report on February 20; the EU 
mission will also issue its report on February 20.  A 
domestic observer mission organization, FAFEN, will issue its 
report and parallel vote tabulation on February 19. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The U.S. mission, supported by UK, Canandian and 
Japanese Embassy teams, will have a total of about 48 teams 
observing as well.  Codel Kerry and Codel Jackson-Lee will 
join our observation teams on election day.  We are 
establishing a Control Center at the U.S. Embassy that will 
operate in shifts beginning at 3 pm February 17 to 3 pm 
February 19.  We ask that all Washington inquiries on the 
elections be forwarded through SCA/PB to the DCM Peter Bodde 
at in our Control Center (001-92-51-208-2873).  End Summary. 
 
The Basics 
---------- 
 
¶3. (U) Pakistan goes to the polls on February 18 to elect 
members of the National Assembly and the four Provincial 
Assemblies (Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Northwest Frontier 
Province, plus representatives from the Federally 
Administered Tribal Areas).  President Musharraf was 
re-elected on October 6 and is not a candidate in these 
elections.  Pakistan's Senate is not up for reelection until 
¶2009.  See septels for political party primers. 
 
¶4. (U) Polls will be open from 8 am to 5 pm across Pakistan 
on February 18.  Counting, which will begin at around 5 pm, 
is done by hand, with results passed through several local 
and district returning officers to the provinces and up to 
the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).  The ECP will 
issue periodic public statements beginning on February 19 on 
the unofficial results from various districts, and these 
unofficial results will be posted on the ECP website 
(www.ecp.gov.pk).  We do not expect the ECP to issue final 
unofficial results before Wednesday, February 20.  Official 
results will be released approximately a week after the 
election. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Pakistani and international media will be covering 
various levels of the electoral process.  In the past, media 
has reported results before the ECP issued its results.  We 
caution that the media reports may not be accurate. 
 
Observer Missions 
----------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The largest international observer mission is being 
sponsored by the European Union.  It will have about 90 
observers monitoring approximately the same number of 
districts (districts include multiple polling stations) 
across Pakistan.  The EU will issue a statement regarding 
their assessment of the credibility of the election on 
February 20.  There will also be several European Parliament 
Members visiting Pakistan who may issue their own statements. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The U.S. is providing a grant to Democracy 
International to monitor the election.  They will have 30-40 
short-term observers in approximately 20 districts.  DI plans 
to issue a statement regarding their assessment on the 
credibility of the elections on February 20. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Through USAID funding, The Asia Foundation is 
supporting a domestic monitoring mission through its 
Pakistani partner, FAFEN (Free and Fair Elections Network). 
FAFEN will field 20,000 domestic observers in every district 
across the country (except the few in the FATA).  FAFEN is 
likely to issue an assessment of the credibility and release 
its parallel vote tabulation report on February 19. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The U.S. Mission will field 21 teams covering 27 
 
ISLAMABAD 00000613  002 OF 002 
 
 
districts.  The UK, Canadian and Japanese embassies will 
join, providing 11, 15, and 1 teams, respectively.  We will 
not/not comment on the credibility of the elections.  We will 
provide the Dept with sitreps covering the atmospherics on 
election day. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Currently, there are two codels (Kerry and 
Jackson-Lee) scheduled to participate in the mission's 
election observation on February 18.  Post will coordinate 
press coverage for those visits and keep SCA/PPD advised. 
 
Security Arrangements 
--------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) ARSOs and Foreign Service National Investigators 
are assigned to each Codel and will be coordinating with the 
police authorities in each of the districts and towns that 
the Codels will be observing.  Advance ARSOs will also be on 
the ground prior to the Codel's arrival to ensure security 
preparations and local situational control. 
 
¶12. (SBU)  In addition, every Observer Team will have close 
Police protection while visiting the polling sites and it is 
hoped to have a Police Officer in the team vehicles as well 
for communication and coordination. 
 
¶13. (SBU) The SRSO and DRSO will operate from the Embassy 
Election Control Center to handle any unforeseen emergencies 
or requirements and two ARSOs will be monitoring the 
newly-installed Blue Force Tracker system that will be 
functioning inside each traveling Observer Team vehicle, 
allowing the SRSO, DRSO, and ARSOs to have immediate 
knowledge of any problem that arises with a team. 
 
Embassy Control Center 
---------------------- 
 
¶14.  (SBU) We are establishing a Control Center at the U.S. 
Embassy that will operate in shifts beginning at 3 pm 
February 17 to 3 pm February 19.  UK and Australian 
representatives will join us in this Control Center.  We ask 
that all Washington inquiries on the elections be forwarded 
through SCA/PB to our DCM in the Control Center. 
 
¶15.  (SBU) Control Center phone numbers: 
 
-- Main: 001-92-51-208-2044 
 
-- Chief: 001-92-51-208-2873/-2514/-2857 
 
-- Alternatives: 
001-92-51-208-2248/-2638/-2866/-2443/-2856/-2 958 
 
Control Center fax numbers: 001-92-51-208-2007/-2008 
PATTERSON