VZCZCXRO3311
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHRY #0485 2461505
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021505Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY CONAKRY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2874
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS CONAKRY 000485 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ASEC GV
SUBJECT: VOTER REGISTRATION UP AND RUNNING - SORT OF 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  Although the GoG finally launched its 
national voter registration campaign on August 28 as the 
Prime Minister symbolically registered to vote on national 
television, there are still a number of issues to be resolved 
before the campaign can truly get underway.  The GoG's 
failure to follow through on its electoral commitments and 
responsibilities created some last minute roadblocks.  A few 
of these issues have been resolved and the UNDP and the EU 
are working with the GoG to address the remaining challenges 
so that the voter registration campaign can be launched in 
truth.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) Guinea finally launched its national voter 
registration campaign on August 28 after months of delays. 
Prime Minister Souare, the Minister of Territorial 
Administration and Political Affairs (MATAP), and the 
President of the National Independent Electoral Commission 
(CENI) were the first to be registered, a process that was 
videotaped and broadcast on the national news network.  The 
PM encouraged the population to register so that they can 
vote in upcoming elections. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Despite the fanfare, the registration launch was 
largely symbolic since a number of logistical problems 
continue to challenge the project.  A focus group meeting the 
day before the launch (which includes participants from the 
UNDP, the EU, the US Embassy, and USAID contractors) 
generated a heated debate between the EU and the UNDP about 
whether to even proceed with a symbolic launch given that so 
many issues remain unresolved. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) For starters, the actual voter registration kits 
had not yet been sent out into the interior of the country 
while one of the 14 required registration forms had not yet 
left the printer.  MATAP had not released an approved list of 
computer operators, which means that these individuals had 
not received per diem and could not travel to the 
registration sites.  (MATAP had been asked to provide a new 
list because the first list was reportedly unacceptable due 
to unexplained fraud.)  While 10,500 of the 15,000 voter 
registrars have been trained, the political parties are 
wanting to add more names, which has slowed down the process 
because it would be difficult to do more training, but the 
parties' requests have to be handled carefully in order to 
avoid potential contention.  Finally, there is a funding gap 
of $309,000 that is needed to cover the salaries of computer 
operators and technical staff. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) By late in the day of the registration launch, at 
least one of the issues had been resolved.  The first trucks 
finally left Conakry for the interior, carrying computer 
equipment and the required forms.  The Minister of MATAP 
personally assisted with the departure.  The GoG issued a 
communique stating that the voter registration project has 
been officially launched, but that the actual operation will 
start within a few days. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶6.  (SBU) Although the donor community has shouldered much of 
the blame for delays in the getting the voter registration 
process off the ground, the GoG is probably deserves equally 
guilty.  Many of the remaining logistical problems are due to 
a lack of movement on the part of the GoG.  For example, a 
seemingly minor issue of paying per diem to local registrars 
(in the amount of about $1000 total) became a major roadblock 
when the GoG failed to come up with the cash.  The EU finally 
told the UNDP to just pay the bill out of the project's 
budget line item for unanticipated expenses, in order to be 
able to even hold the symbolic registration.  MATAP's lack of 
planning and coordination raises concerns about the GoG's 
political will and technical capacity to hold transparent, 
credible elections.  The good news is that the registration 
process is finally underway, publicly anyway, and should be 
in truth within the next few weeks.  END COMMENT. 
BROKENSHIRE