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DE RUEHSB #0270/01 0941540
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 031540Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2678
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1871
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1994
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0567
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1271
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1628
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2050
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4481
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUAEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1121
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000270 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
SES-O 
AF/S FOR S. HILL, 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS 
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM ASEC ZI
SUBJECT: EMBASSY HARARE ELECTION OBSERVATIONS: A POSITIVE 
EXPERIENCE 
 
REF:  HARARE 00245 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Embassy Harare deployed 11 teams to observe 
elections on March 29; all reported that voting took place in a calm 
and orderly manner.  Observer teams were generally well-received at 
polling stations and throughout the different constituencies, 
including ruling party strongholds.  All teams noted a sense of 
excitement coming from the electorate.  Election officials paid 
particular attention to showing that the voting process on Election 
Day was transparent and fair.  Police had a noticeable presence in 
all polling stations and interacted cordially and professionally 
with observer teams.  The teams were impressed by the apparent 
overall quality of the voting process on Election Day.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
---------------------------- 
Observer Teams Well-Received 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Embassy Harare deployed 11 teams in the country's 10 
provinces to observe the harmonized elections on March 29.  The 
teams primarily covered remote rural areas visiting polling stations 
and speaking with the public.  Each team included one accredited 
embassy officer, one local embassy employee and for som teams an 
unaccredited American, and a driver.  Only the accredited American 
was able to enter the polling stations.  Observer teams were 
generally well-received at polling stations and throughout the 
different constituencies.  The public appeared excited to see and 
talk with our teams.  And, in two locations, the queue of voters 
actually broke out into applause when the observer team arrived. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Our non-accredited team members were able to interview 
voters and the general public without interference or intimidation. 
We heard a few isolated reports of apparent efforts at voter 
intimidation and manipulation, such as ruling party supporters 
writing down names of voters or promising bags of mealie meal if a 
person showed a ZANU-PF card and voted.  In all cases, police acted 
to stop the suspect activity.  One presiding officer in the 
Chimanimani West constituency in Manicaland province told us that 
she was confident police would act properly and prevent such 
activities because no one at the polling station wanted a complaint 
entered into "the book." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Throughout Election Day, we found the public eager to 
discuss election conditions, but in a show of the palpable fear 
surrounding politics in the country, nearly everyone we asked at the 
end of a discussion refused to identify their party allegiance - 
many simply walked away without responding.  In between polling 
stations, mostly along dirt roads in rural areas, groups and 
individuals frequently would smile and give the open hand sign of 
the MDC.  Many of those we spoke with, including several police 
officers working at polling stations, said the country needed 
"change" - indicating support for the MDC. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
Election Day Voting Process Organized and Transparent 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Observer teams noted a high-level of attention to procedure 
and transparency demonstrated by the election officials.  Polling 
stations for the most part were well organized, equipped, prepared, 
and managed.  Election officials tended to be school teachers from 
the surrounding area, but not from the immediate school polling 
station; the presiding officer tended to be a school headmaster or 
deputy headmaster. 
 
¶6. (SBU) At most polling stations, the presiding officers and 
election officials were accessible and freely answered questions 
about the process.  Many took pride in showing log books 
 
HARARE 00000270  002 OF 003 
 
 
meticulously detailing voting activities, including the number of 
voters assisted and turned away.  We received a cold response from 
election officials and police at a few polling stations, especially 
in the Mt. Darwin constituency in Mashonaland Central province - a 
ruling party stronghold and the constituency of Vice-president Joice 
Mujuru.  However, several persons near a polling station in Mt. 
Darwin approached our team and thanked us for taking an interest in 
the elections. 
 
¶7. (SBU) For the most part, polling stations opened on time.  In one 
instance in the Binga South constituency in Matabeleland North 
province, the polling station opened at 10:45 am because the voters 
roll had not been delivered.  By early afternoon, the wait to vote 
was more than an hour and growing.  The presiding officer, however, 
secured another voter booth from a neighboring polling station and a 
second copy of voter rolls to speed up the process. 
 
¶8. (SBU) At the closing of polls, our observers noted that the 
presiding officers showed discipline in conducting the vote count 
and verification.  The presiding officers conferred with the other 
election officers, party agents, and observers with each step in the 
process.  In most cases, the proceedings were quiet and orderly, 
with little or no reaction to the actual returns.  In one polling 
station in the Bulawayo constituency, after it was announced that 
President Mugabe received only a paltry eight votes, everyone in the 
room burst into laugher when the party agent for one of the MDC 
formations said "as it should be." 
 
¶9. (SBU) Our observer teams were allowed to view vote counting 
exercises; however, in one instance in the Chiredzi constituency, 
the presiding officer required the police to radio the constituency 
command center to seek permission for our accredited embassy 
observer to attend the proceedings.  Permission was finally granted. 
 In the Kadoma Central constituency in the Mashonaland West 
province, our observer noted that police were radioing in results to 
an unknown location. 
 
---------------------------- 
A Noticeable Police Presence 
---------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Police were present in all polling stations and generally 
interacted cordially and professionally with observer teams.  No 
overtly intimidating behavior was observed by teams; however, police 
presence was clear, and their authority was understood. 
 
¶11. (SBU) At several polling stations we visited, police stationed 
inside had an active roll in the process beyond simply participating 
in voter assistance.  In one polling station in the Chiredzi South 
constituency in Masvingo province, we observed a police officer 
sitting at the registration table in front of the voter rolls busily 
transcribing data from the rolls and the log book into a notebook. 
In one polling station in Binga South constituency, voters appeared 
to instinctively look to the police officer rather than the 
presiding officer for permission to drop the ballot in the box. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) A pre-election concern had been an inadequate number of 
polling stations in urban areas, particularly Harare.  While we 
observed long lines in some areas of Harare in the morning, there 
were no lines when the polls closed and no reports of people unable 
to vote. 
 
¶13.  (SBU) The only significant problem observed was voters unable 
to vote because their names did not appear on the voter rolls.  In a 
few polling stations, almost 50 percent of people were turned away. 
On average, about 15 percent were not allowed to vote.  We suspect 
some of these individuals located their names on voter rolls in 
other wards. 
 
 
HARARE 00000270  003 OF 003 
 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) Despite inadequate pre-election preparations and sporadic 
reports of intimidation and manipulation, the voting process on 
Election Da was generally well-managed and orderly.  Unfortunately, 
the same cannot be said of the pre-election environment and the 
post-election tabulation and reporting process.  END COMMENT. 
 
MCGEE