VZCZCXRO9991
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #3597 3181235
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131235Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0365
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 003597 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: KARBALA'S PREPARATIONS FOR PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS 
 
This is a PRT Karbala reporting cable. 
 
(U)  This message is Sensitive but Unclassified; handle 
accordingly.  Not for Internet distribution. 
 
¶1. (SBU) PRT members met with the Government Elections 
Officer (GEO) on November 6 and the United Nations Assistance 
Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) Representative on November 9 to 
discuss preparations for the provincial elections, expected 
to be on January 31.  The GEO believed that Karbala was on 
track for increased party participation and high voter 
turnout. The UNAMI representative expressed concerns that 
poorer voters, upset at the lack of government services, may 
view the elections as irrelevant.  Iraqi Security Forces and 
municipal authories are still making plans for election day 
security and voter transportation, each of which will affect 
voter turnout.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Karbala GEO Safa Ibrahim told us that 67 lists (slates 
of candidates) had been registered in the province by the 
November 3 deadline, representing nearly 1,000 candidates. 
Safa said that 37 of these lists are Karbala-based political 
entities, representing independents and local small parties, 
while others represent national entities. 
 
Voter Registration and Outreach 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Safa believed there were no problems with voter 
registration in Karbala.  He said that Karbala voter rolls 
now include 518,000 people, up from 214,000 just prior to the 
2005 elections.  On voter education, Safa said the GEO was 
developing a media plan that will disseminate information on 
the electoral process and educate voters using sample 
ballots.  The lists will be identified by specific numbers 
ahead of time, making it easier for candidates on a given 
list to campaign. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Sheikh Ali Kamonah, the UNAMI representative (and 
former Governor of Karbala) said that UNAMI, supported by 
federal officials and NGOs, had sponsored 180 voter education 
workshops at the qadaa (district) and nahiyah (subdistrict) 
levels.  He said that a UN-sponsored conference on voter 
education had been planned in order to reach influential 
leaders (including tribal leaders), but was canceled due to 
the lack of an elections law.  Kamonah believed the 
conference would be rescheduled but did not give a date. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Kamonah was concerned that "simple people" who had 
participated in the 2005 elections but were frustrated at the 
lack of improvement in services, would view the 2009 
elections as irrelevant and sit them out.  He said a 
significant drop in voter participation, particularly among 
the lower classes, "would be a disaster." 
 
Election Day Security and Transportation 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) On polling day, according to Safa, the city will 
give extra permits to allow an increase in bus traffic.  he 
said the number of polling stations is roughly the same as in 
2005 (218) and they are mostly in schools.  However, Kamonah 
said that in 2005 some government-provided buses used to 
transport voters to the polls were used only to service 
particular neighborhoods.  Kamonah said if a curfew and extra 
security requirements are imposed on election day (as they 
were in 2005) these will create additional barriers to 
turnout.  He believed that increased security, coupled with 
the unfamiliar "open list" system, would create long waits at 
the polling stations and a big disincentive to vote. 
CROCKER