VZCZCXRO2871
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #0339/01 0721533
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121533Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6258
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000339 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SNAR GH
SUBJECT: GHANA ELECTORAL COMMISSION CONFRONTS OPPOSITION 
CONCERNS OVER INFLATED VOTER REGISTER 
 
REF: A. ACCRA 188 
 
     ¶B. ACCRA 325 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  In a February 29 meeting with Poloffs, 
Albert Kofi Arhin, Director of Elections for Ghana's 
Electoral Commission (EC), outlined the EC's revised schedule 
of activities in preparation for December presidential and 
parliamentary elections.  The EC has scheduled nationwide 
voter ID replacement to begin March 14 and new voter 
registration for May, representing a one-month delay from 
previous plans.  Poloff subsequently attended a March 4 
meeting of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), an 
important EC-led forum for dispute resolution that had last 
met in May 2007.  During the IPAC meeting, the EC refuted 
National Democratic Congress (NDC) allegations that voter 
registration numbers have been vastly overstated in New 
Patriotic Party (NPP) strongholds in the Ashanti region, and 
presented "official" data contradicting the NDC numbers.  The 
EC and political parties agreed to a joint investigation into 
the data discrepancy.  During March 6 Independence Day 
celebrations, President Kufuor appealed to the EC to continue 
its record of impartiality and transparency.  The EC has also 
appealed to donor organizations to fill a USD 12 million 
funding gap, despite previous indications that the GOG would 
fully fund the 2008 Elections.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Voter Registration and ID Replacement Scheduled 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2. (U) POL Chief met February 29 with Albert Kofi Arhin, 
Director of Elections at the Electoral Commission, to discuss 
preparations for the December presidential and parliamentary 
elections.  Arhin presented the EC's updated schedule of 
activities, indicating that the EC will begin replacing lost 
and damaged voter ID cards on March 14.  The exercise will 
occur at the district level, covering approximately 5,000 
polling stations.  The EC plans to dispatch "mobile units" in 
larger geographic areas to access a broader section of the 
population.  The EC will also pay particular attention to the 
northern regions, where they expect a higher than average 
number of replacement requests due to last year's flooding 
and property damage. 
 
¶3. (U) Arhin stated that new voter registration is scheduled 
for May 8-17.  This represents a one-month delay from 
previous EC plans (see Ref A).  The EC said it expects 
approximately one million new registration requests this 
year, based on a review of census data (citizens are eligible 
to vote at age 18) and an estimate of first-time registrants. 
 (NOTE: The last voter registration drive occurred in 2006, 
despite a constitutional requirement for annual registration, 
and added approximately 600,000 new voters to the register. 
END NOTE) 
 
IPAC Revived, Voters Register Discrepancies Addressed 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) On March 4, the Inter-Party Advisory Committee 
(IPAC) assembled after a 10-month period of inactivity. 
Convened by the EC, the meeting was attended by 
representatives from all major political parties as well as 
representatives from Ghana's development partners (including 
Poloff).  (NOTE: The United Renaissance Party (URP) boycotted 
the March 4 meeting on the basis of foreign donor presence. 
END NOTE)  During the meeting, EC Chairman Dr. K. Afari-Gyan 
presented the commission's schedule of activities for the 
coming months, outlined the EC's approach to voter ID 
replacement in March, and responded to NDC allegations of 
irregularities in Ashanti region voter registers.  Afari-Gyan 
presented a summary of Ashanti voter registration numbers to 
IPAC attendees, with data showing that growth in Ashanti 
voter registration averaged 6% in 2006, consistent with 
national averages. 
 
¶5. (SBU) (NOTE: On March 4, a pro-NDC newspaper published 
allegations of voter registration irregularities and accused 
the NPP of vote rigging. Using data reportedly obtained from 
the EC, the NDC calculated that 13 constituencies in Ashanti 
(a NPP stronghold) witnessed more than 100% growth in 
registered voters between 2004 and 2006, while increases in 
the remaining 217 Ghanaian districts averaged only 5.5%. The 
NDC presented similar allegations to Poloff in a February 27 
meeting.  The NDC stated that the EC provided the data on a 
CD-ROM following a formal NDC request last year. END NOTE) 
 
¶6. (SBU) Afari-Gyan emphasized that the EC figures represent 
"authentic data" from the official EC voter register.  It is 
unclear why the data presented by the NDC differs 
significantly from the official EC numbers and whether the 
data discrepancy occurred on the EC or NDC side.  Following 
heated debate among the political parties, the EC agreed to 
 
ACCRA 00000339  002 OF 002 
 
 
cooperate with the political parties to investigate the 
discrepancy. 
 
President Kufuor Urges EC Neutrality, Transparency 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶7. (U) In his March 6 Independence Day speech, President 
Kufuor expressed confidence in the EC's integrity but urged 
the EC to manage upcoming elections "with impartiality, 
neutrality, and transparent honesty" to ensure that results 
are respected by political parties and all Ghanaians.  Kufuor 
also appealed to political parties and citizens to assume 
responsibility for a peaceful election process. 
 
EC Budget Shortfall Projected 
----------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The EC and Ministry of Finance have reported a USD 
12 million budget shortfall this year and, in February, 
approached donors to fill the government's financing gap. 
This request came despite indications to development partners 
in 2007 that the GOG would fully fund the Electoral 
Commission for the 2008 polls. (Ref B).  Preparations for the 
December elections are somewhat behind schedule relative to 
past election years.  However, the EC claims budgetary 
considerations have not hindered operations to-date, despite 
delays in ID replacement and registration activities. 
 
¶9. (SBU) COMMENT.  The EC has commanded widespread respect 
from political parties, civil society organizations, and the 
Ghanaian public.  However, in several key areas of 
preparation for the 2008 elections, the EC has fallen short, 
including unexplained delays in launching election 
registration activities, and its limited communications with 
political parties.  For example, the important decision not 
to implement the controversial overseas voting law was 
announced in the press before it was communicated to 
political parties.  Nevertheless, the EC's leadership appears 
accessible to addressing requests and concerns from the 
parties, and the long-overdue resumption of regular IPAC 
meetings will demonstrate the strength of this commitment, 
providing a critical forum to address inter-party problems 
and a key channel for communications during an expectedly 
contentious campaign.  END COMMENT 
BRIDGEWATER