VZCZCXRO5537
RR RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #3294/01 3631233
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281233Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6544
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003294 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
NSC FOR WOOD 
OSD FOR WILKES 
CENTCOM FOR CG CSTC-A, CG CJTF-101 POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ETRD EFIN AF
 
SUBJECT: URUZGAN PREPRARES FOR A SUCCESSFUL VOTER REGISTRATION 
CAMPAIGN 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: With less than one month until the January 20 
kick-off of the Phase IV voter registration period, Uruzgan election 
and ANSF officials are making steady progress in planning for a 
campaign that could lead to at least 100,000 new voters.  The 
veteran Provincial Elections Officer has already identified most of 
his staff for the 11 voter registration centers and 52 sub-stations, 
ensured that there would be at least 12 female sub-stations in the 
province, and launched an ambitious public awareness campaign. 
Serious logistical and security challenges remain -- e.g., 
transportation of IEC equipment and personnel to remote and unstable 
districts, an expected surge in IED attacks, and an uninterested and 
absent governor -- but ISAF and CF are working closely with the 
Afghan officials to address these obstacles. End Summary. 
 
Logistical Preparations: So Far, So Good 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a December 14 meeting with PRT and PRTOff, IEC 
Provincial Election Officer (PEO) Obaidullah Osmani provided a 
detailed update on the logistical preparations for the Phase IV 
voter registration (VR) campaign in Uruzgan, which was recently 
postponed until January 20.  Osmani, an Uruzgan native and former 
District Field Coordinator (DFC) during the 2004/2005 general 
elections, demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of the province's 
political and tribal challenges, the administrative steps in the VR 
process, and his responsibilities and those of his subordinates. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Below is a brief overview of the VR process in Uruzgan: 
 
-- There will be 11 voter registration centers (VRCs) and 52 
sub-stations: four VRCs and 21 sub-stations in provincial capital 
Tarin Kowt; two VRCs and nine substations in Deh Rawood; one VRC and 
five sub-stations in Chora; two VRCs and nine sub-stations in Khas 
Uruzgan; one VRC and four sub-stations in Char Chineh; and, one VRC 
and four sub-stations in (unofficial) Chenartu district.  Osmani 
requested CF air support to transport Independent Election 
Commission (IEC) personnel and materials to the more remote and 
unstable Khas Uruzgan, Char Chineh, and Chenartu districts, but 
Osmani agreed that ANSF should be his first point of contact; CF 
would fill in the gaps. 
 
-- The VRCs and sub-stations are located in the most populated areas 
to minimize security risks.  For security reasons, sub-stations were 
not set up in the heavily concentrated Ghilzai Pashtun areas outside 
the district centers of Tarin Kowt and Chora, given that those towns 
remain largely under Taliban influence.  These voters will have to 
travel up to three hours, walking to Tarin Kowt and Chora centers to 
register.  Osmani commented that, "unfortunately, 50% of the 
population in the Ghilzai areas wants to register and the other 50% 
wants to kill the people who register." 
 
-- There will be a minimum of 12 sub-stations designated for women, 
with at least one female sub-station located in each district, with 
the possible exception of Chenartu.  The lack of literate women in 
Uruzgan poses a problem.  Osmani has already hired 10 literate women 
to fulfill clerical duties at the female sub-stations, and, if 
necessary, would try to put one literate female IEC supervising 
official in each female sub-station.  Additional literate women are 
still needed to staff the remaining designated sub-stations for 
women.  If he comes up short, Osmani would have to reduce the number 
of female sub-stations. 
 
-- DFCs and most of the IEC personnel have been hired for all 
districts, except Char Chineh.  Osmani pointed out that he has 
received several applications for the DFC slot in Char Chineh and 
other positions, but he seeks only "the most qualified staff." 
 
Expected Turnout and Public Awareness Campaign 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Osmani estimated that approximately 140,000 Uruzgan 
residents should have their VR cards from the previous election. 
Kabul IEC staff recommended that he should be ready to receive 
roughly 102,000 VR applications in January; however, Osmani believes 
the turnout will be higher.  The Australian Reconstruction Task 
Force in Uruzgan conducted a survey of voting-age residents of Khas 
Uruzgan in 2007, and found that 50,000 residents planned to register 
for the 2009 election.  If Khas Uruzgan district, one of the 
province's medium-sized districts, reaches 50,000 new registrations, 
the number of registrations from other districts alone could exceed 
102,000. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Osmani, determined to surpass the 102,000 benchmark, will 
launch an aggressive public awareness campaign.  In addition to the 
 
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nationally broadcast television, radio, and SMS text messages, which 
began on December 15, teams of one man and one woman will be 
dispatched to residential and commercial areas around the VRCs and 
sub-stations to directly engage Uruzgan residents on their civic 
duty to participate in the democratic process and register (if 
necessary) for the upcoming elections.  The teams will visit 
mosques, clinics, businesses, shuras, and private residences. 
 
Key Challenges 
-------------- 
 
¶6.   (SBU) Security, Security, Security. The PEO, ANSF provincial 
commanders, ISAF, and CF remain concerned that local insurgents will 
generate more night letters and lay more IEDs along the routes to 
VRCs and sub-stations.  Although ISAF and CF have recently conducted 
several small-scale clearing operations in Taliban-controlled areas 
in preparation for the VR, ANSF (mostly ANP) continue to suffer from 
a surge in IED attacks.  Task Force Uruzgan (TFU), USSF, U.S. PMTs, 
and PRTOff have urged the ANSF at the provincial and district levels 
to develop joint security plans, and the first such meeting occurred 
on December 20.  Provincial Chief of Police Jumma Ghul added that he 
would rely on the recent graduates of the ANP Focused District 
Development (FDD) training program to serve as VRC security and road 
checkpoint commanders in Tarin Kowt and Deh Rawood.  Ghul is eager 
to put his trained personnel to use. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Absent Governor.  Governor Hamdam has done little to 
support or coordinate the work of the IEC and ANSF officials or 
raise local interest in the VR campaign.  Hamdam, who is on vacation 
from December 5 until approximately January 19, left the formidable 
task to a weak deputy governor and the TFU.  The deputy governor 
wants a successful VR campaign and, despite his limited influence in 
the province, has cultivated solid ties with the PEO and ANSF 
provincial commanders.  The TFU and ANSF commanders will coordinate 
with the deputy governor to address the logistical and security 
hurdles at the district level in a timely manner. 
 
WOOD