VZCZCXRO8950
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #1103/01 2391038
ZNR UUUUU ZZH ZFD
R 261038Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6916
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001103 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W 
SIPDIS 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF KDEM PREL PHUM GH
SUBJECT: GHANA--EC CRITIQUES REGISTRATION, NPP LAUNCHES 
CAMPAIGN 
 
REF: A. A. ACCRA 01058 
     ¶B. B. ACCRA 01048 
 
ACCRA 00001103  001.3 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU)  SUMMARY. The Deputy Commissioner of the Electoral 
Commission expressed concerns about the recently finished 
voter registration exercise. He acknowledged questions about 
the integrity of the voter roll following allegations of 
under-age and multiple registrations.  The New Patriotic 
Party (NPP) held its annual convention and introduced its 
vice-presidential candidate to the party faithful. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
EC Offers Critique of Voter Registration 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  USAID Ghana's Democracy and Governance Office Chief 
attended a meeting called by the Ghana Electoral Commission 
(EC) on August 15.  EC Deputy Commissioner David Kanga 
briefed development partners on the recently completed voter 
registration exercise (REFTEL B). Kanga began by saying that 
an estimated 2-3 million people registered during the 
thirteen day exercise. This number is far in excess of the 
one million the EC had anticipated to have become eligible 
since the last exercise, in 2006. The EC's expected number 
was based on an estimated population growth rate of 3% per 
year and an expected 150,000 older first-time registrants. 
Kanga said that the EC is concerned about a "bloated" roll, 
including multiple and underage registrants. Kanga said that 
the EC would meet in the near future with the Inter-Party 
Advisory Committee, civil society and other stakeholders to 
discuss approaches to purging the registry of ineligible 
voters. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The EC's Kanqa added his concern about the role of 
the political parties in the registration exercise, saying 
that he believed the parties encouraged underage and multiple 
registrations.  Kanga, who has extensive international 
experience, likened the recent exercise to the 2007 election 
in Nigeria, which he witnessed.  He also expressed concern 
over the lack of action by the security services, who were 
often present but who failed to enforce the law (REFTEL B). 
Kanga theorized that party representatives observing the 
registration process in their opponent's strongholds may have 
not complained about irregularities out of fear for their 
safety. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Kanga said that the EC is encouraging civil society 
groups to participate as election observers. He added that 
the EC also welcomes and encourages international observers, 
and asked that donors by September 15 give an indication to 
the UNDP of the scale of the observer missions that each 
embassy plans to field. (Note: The UNDP is organizing the 
international observer process. End Note.). An official of 
the UK High Commission  said that they plan to deploy 
twenty-five teams of two observers each. Kanga explained that 
the EC is exploring ways to transmit election results more 
quickly, to forestall potential election related conflict. He 
noted that Ghana Telecom, the local fixed line provider, has 
estimated that it would cost about $1.5 million to connect 
the 230 district constituency offices to the main EC center. 
 
¶5. (SBU). According to Kanga, the EC is preparing a 
supplementary budget for the Ministry of Finance to cover the 
higher than anticipated cost of the registration exercise. 
He added that he expects the Ministry to appeal directly to 
the donor community for support of the EC. 
 
The NPP Holds Its Convention 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU). POLOFF attended the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) 
annual delegate convention August 16 in Takoradi, in Ghana's 
Western Region. The meeting was an opportunity for the party 
to "outdoor" or introduce its vice-presidential candidate, 
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. Dr. Bawumia, the deputy head of the 
central bank, is a technocrat not well known to the party 
faithful (REFTEL A). Party officials used the meeting of 
delegates to revisit the party's accomplishments, in a series 
of detail oriented speeches that failed to hold the attendees 
attention. Party unity was a sub-theme of the event, 
reflecting the inter-party conflicts of the presidential and 
parliamentary candidate selection processes.  Party National 
Chairman Peter Mac Manu opened the event by reminding the 
faithful of the need to both maintain party discipline and 
support for NPP candidates.  Neither Presidential Candidate 
Nana Akufo-Addo or VP candidate Bawumia spoke during the 
first day session. Bawumia was present, and received a polite 
but unenthusiastic response from the audience. Late in the 
day President John Kufuor addressed the session, and received 
a warm response as he outlined the accomplishments of the 
 
ACCRA 00001103  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
past eight years. He praised Bawumia's youthfulness and 
financial expertise.  The two candidates spoke the next day 
at a large rally in Takoradi, where Bawumia was introduced as 
the VP candidate. 
 
¶7. (SBU). Going on the theme of "We Are Moving Forward," the 
NPP released its election manifesto.  The platform focuses on 
the achievements of the party, while also calling for 
expansions of programs begun by the NPP government. For 
example, the manifesto calls for free senior high school 
education, expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme, 
expansion of the National Youth Employment Program (a job 
creation program) and a doubling of the number of police 
officers.  The manifesto also calls for the creation of a 
cabinet level "drug czar" to head a more powerful Narcotics 
Control Agency. To further economic development, the 
manifesto calls for an Industrial Development Fund and a 
Northern Development Fund, each to be capitalized with USD $1 
billion. Transport, housing and agriculture would also 
receive more resources under an Akufo-Addo administration. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) COMMENT.  The Electoral Commission Deputy Director's 
frank admission of problems with the voter registration 
exercise is a positive step. The Commission still needs to 
implement measures to restore confidence in its impartiality, 
but a plan to review the voter rolls for "bloated" 
registrations is a positive step, and working through the 
Inter-party Advisory Group is the best approach toward 
reaching a consensus for cleaning the rolls. END COMMENT. 
BROWN