VZCZCXRO3651
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0802/01 3581252
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231252Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0708
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1377
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0405

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COTONOU 000802 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W ACOOK 
LONDON FOR PETER LORD 
PARIS FOR BKANEDA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL BN
SUBJECT: BENIN: DESIGNING A PERMANENT COMPUTERIZED VOTE REGISTRY: A 
CHALLENGE? 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On December 10, the Head of the European Commission 
delegation to Benin, Ambassador Elisabeth Feret, in conjunction with 
the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Office and Financial 
and Technical Partners (FTPs), officially presented to President 
Yayi a feasibility report on the design of a Permanent Computerized 
Vote Registry (LEPI) ahead of the 2011 presidential and legislative 
elections. The report provides updated financial, technical and 
legal details of the long-planned LEPI. The experts that carried out 
the study proposed that a couple of provisions in the current 
Beninese Election Law be amended to adjust to the LEPI's 
requirements. They also addressed the need for reaching political 
consensus and popular acceptance as a prerequisite for a successful 
completion of the LEPI. While President Yayi has demonstrated 
commitment to putting the LEPI in place to ensure transparent 
elections in 2011, Post is concerned that its creation could be 
hampered by the current deadlock in the National Assembly and the 
perceived indifference of political leaders to the project. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) On December 10, President Yayi received the LEPI feasibility 
report at the Presidential Palace before a large audience composed 
of Beninese Ministers, parliamentarians, high-ranking officials, and 
members of diplomatic missions accredited to Benin including 
Ambassador Brown. Ambassador Elisabeth Feret, Head of the European 
Commission delegation to Benin, briefed participants on the content 
of the report, stressing that the LEPI is technically feasible 
before the 2011 elections. However, she said that Beninese 
authorities would need to proceed with the revision of the Beninese 
Election Law, no later than March 2009, in order to meet the 
deadline for accomplishing the LEPI. In his speech, President Yayi 
acknowledged that it was a must for the Beninese people to have fair 
and transparent elections which would strengthen democracy. Finally, 
he pledged that he would do everything in his ability to meet the 
deadline by having deputies amend the election law. It is notable 
that the handover was organized under the auspices of Mrs. Lea 
Hounkph, Permanent Secretary of the National Independent Electoral 
Commission (SAP-CENA) and formerly President Yayi's Minister of 
Technical Education, and Vocational Training. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The U.S. Embassy has been identified as a Technical and 
Financial Partner (TFP) to the LEPI's project. Consequently, Mission 
representatives have attended TFP meetings since 2006. On December 
9, the European Commission delegation sent the Embassy, an embargoed 
electronic copy of the 83-page report. The report elaborated on an 
initial study conducted by the Canadian International Foundation for 
Electoral System (IFES) in 1998 and on other successive updates 
funded jointly in 2000 by USAID and the Danish International 
Development Agency (DANIDA) and UNDP, in 2003 by UNDP, and in 2004 
by DANIDA. The methodology that the experts have proposed to develop 
the LEPI comprises a general population census with the registration 
of individuals aged ten and over, to allow an anticipated management 
of a national voter registry over several years. The registration 
will be based on Beninese citizens' personal, nominative and 
biometric details. A National Processing Center is planned to be 
created in order to centralize data collected from the 77 communes. 
The process will end up with the printing and distribution of voter 
cards. 
 
¶4. (U) The report highlights the necessary amendment of Article 11 
of Act No 2007-25 of November 23, 2007 related to the general rules 
that govern elections in Benin, which requires Beninese citizens to 
register on presentation of identity cards. Obviously, this specific 
provision will prevent a large majority of Beninese who do not 
possess identity cards from being registered under the LEPI. 
Legislators will also need to revise Article 15 of the same Act. 
This article contains a conflict of responsibility between the 
National Independent Electoral Commission (CENA), a body named for 
each election and in charge of voters' registration, and the 
Permanent Secretary of the Commission (SAP-CENA) which is 
responsible for computerizing and updating the voter registry 
between two elections. The revision of Article 15 is expected to 
clarify the issue as to which body will actually be tasked with 
supervising the implementation of the LEPI. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In the framework of the LEPI, TFPs are donor countries and 
international organizations that support the implementation of the 
LEPI. These include the United States of America, France, Belgium, 
China, Denmark, the Netherlands, the European Commission and the 
United Nations Development Program. While the provisional budget for 
the LEPI amounts to approximately 320,000,000 US Dollars, the EU has 
contributed 7,050,000 US Dollars, UNDP about 200,000 US Dollars, 
Denmark around 2,397,000 US Dollars and the Netherlands 2,820,000 US 
Dollars. The other donors including France, Belgium and China are 
expected to financially support the effort. So far, the USG has not 
committed financially but Post has demonstrated USG interest in the 
 
COTONOU 00000802  002 OF 002 
 
 
project. 
 
¶6. (SBU) During a TPFs' meeting at the office of the European 
Commission Delegation on December 5, Mrs. Feret said that political 
leaders whom the Commission has consulted for sensitization and 
lobbying have demonstrated little enthusiasm for the LEPI. A case in 
point is the total indifference that Adrien Houngbedji, the leader 
of the Democratic Renewal Party (PRD) showed when the experts 
briefed him on the LEPI. Most opposition leaders believe that 
President Yayi will control the LEPI for his own benefit. 
 
¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: Post is not certain that the LEPI will be 
implemented before the 2011 presidential and legislative elections 
as a consequence of the increasing tension between President Yayi 
and the opposition. The design of the LEPI requires broad-based 
consensus, which is currently lacking in the Beninese political 
sphere. Elections in Benin have always been marred with allegations 
of fraud and irregularities. The 2011 presidential and legislative 
elections may not differ much from past elections, or turn out 
worse, if the GOB fails to guarantee a transparent and efficient 
voter registry.  END COMMENT 
 
BROWN