VZCZCXRO1575
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHNM #0303/01 0711336
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111336Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4181
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUZEHAA/CDR USEUCOM INTEL VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000303 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
ACCRA FOR USAID/WA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAID KDEM NG
SUBJECT: NIGER: DONORS DISCUSS ELECTIONS 
 
REF: NIAMEY 269 
 
¶1. (U) There is an action request in paragraph 11. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary: The GON has proposed an ambitious timetable 
to create a new voters registration list in preparation for 
elections in 2009, although it is not clear that registration 
can take place in the north given the security situation 
there.  The GON is seeking $4.3 million from donors to 
compile the voter registration list.   The USG needs to 
identify resources to support the registration and elections. 
 End summary. 
 
¶3. (U) The Prime Minister on March 7 announced that the 
National Council for Political Dialogue (known by its French 
acronym CNDP), which comprises all political parties, had 
recommended that local elections be postponed from July 2008 
to at least January 2009.  The Prime Minister also said that 
CNDP had recommended amendments to the electoral code, 
although he did not specify what those suggested amendments 
were. 
 
¶4. (SBU) On March 10 the UNDP hosted a donors meeting to 
review the status of voter registration efforts.  UNDP and EU 
representatives briefed representations from the French, 
Danish, Swiss, Belgian, Japanese and Canadian 
Embassies/development organizations on their February 28 
meeting with GON officials regarding elections.  The GON 
officials said that they proposed developing the voters list 
from scratch rather than revising the existing list.  The 
deadline for completing the new list is November 2008, which 
would allow local elections to take place in early 2009. 
 
¶5. (SBU) UNDP/EU officials distributed the GON's voter 
registration timetable: 
 
-- conduct an awareness campaign, April-May, 2008; 
-- conduct the electoral census, May 15-29, 2008; 
-- compile the census forms and establish voting bureaus, 
May-June, 2008; 
-- process the forms in Niamey, June-October, 2008; 
-- post the voters list, October-November 2008; 
-- complete and correct the lists, November-January, 2008; and 
-- prepare the final report on the exercise, January-April 
¶2009. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The officials also distributed the GON's proposed 
budget for the voter registration exercise, which totals 
about $9.1 million, of which $4.8 million would be provided 
by the GON. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The purpose of the meeting was to alert donors of 
the need to fund the $4.3 million difference between the 
estimated cost of voter registration and the amount the GON 
plans to provide.  The EU official explained that there were 
several possible modalities for donor support, including 
creating a common trust fund of donor contributions, or 
having various donors undertake or fund specific components 
of the exercise.  In response to a question from one of the 
donors, the UNDP and EU officials said they were not sure 
that the GON's contribution was included in its 2008 budget, 
but opined that the GON could seek a supplemental budget. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The French DCM asked whether the registration could 
take place in the north, given the security situation there. 
The UNDP resident dodged the question, but said that she 
could not imagine that the registration could exclude one 
part of the country. 
 
¶9. (SBU) In response to one donor representative complaining 
that the GON had waited this long to seek donor support, the 
UNDP resident representative said it was actually UNDP and 
the EU -- not the GON -- that had taken the initiative to 
begin working on the matter. 
 
¶10. (SBU) The group agreed that it should meet monthly to 
review the status of registration efforts.  UNDP and EU will 
send a joint mission to Niger.  They will prepare a document 
outlining the issues.  They will seek to include an estimate 
of the cost of the election itself, as well as of the 
registration. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Comment and action request: A key issue is whether 
the voter registration can be conducted in the north given 
the security situation.  If not, the entire registration 
timetable is doubtful, raising real questions about whether 
 
NIAMEY 00000303  002 OF 002 
 
 
the presidential and legislative elections can take place as 
scheduled in November and December of next year.  That said, 
the USG needs to identify sources of assistance for voter 
registration and elections. This was highlighted as one of 
post's top priorities in its FY2009 and 2010 Mission 
Strategic Plans.  Successful elections would mark the first 
transfer of power from one democratically elected government 
to another in Niger's history. 
ALLEN