VZCZCXRO9984
RR RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #0132/01 0191206
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191206Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6853
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000132 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM, INL/AP 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
NSC FOR WOOD 
OSD FOR WILKES 
USFOR-A COS, CG CJTF-101 POLAD 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM AF
 
SUBJECT: PRT LASHKAR GAH: HELMAND IEC READY FOR VOTER REGISTRATION 
BUT MATERIALS SLOW TO ARRIVE 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  Voter Registration is set to begin on January 20 
and the local IEC office and Task Force Helmand (TFH) have 
coordinated efforts to address security and logistical challenges. 
However, the required registration materials had not yet arrived in 
Lashkar Gah on January 17 and delays are likely.  Governor Mangal 
has aggressively promoted the registration process during multiple 
outreach shuras and he encouraged the Provincial Electoral Officer 
to explain the process to hundreds of Helmand residents. 
Registration center security remains the biggest challenge and 
officials worry many residents will not participate in the 
registration process.  Local residents have expressed little 
interest in registering and many said they are disappointed with the 
central government. 
 
Helmand IEC Ready 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Provincial Electoral Officer (PEO) Engineer Hadi told 
Governor Mangal, Task Force Helmand (TFH) and Afghan security 
officials on January 17that his office is ready to open voter 
registation (VR) in Helmand Province.  He said VR staf have been 
trained and deployed to Garmsir, awa, Nad Ali, Gereshk, and Musa 
Qala.   Personnel going to Kajaki and Sangin were delayed due to bad 
weather but are expected to arrive prior to January 20.  He said 
security measures were well coordinated between the Afghan security 
forces and ISAF has provided excellent support to his office.  He 
said 16 VR sites are ready in eight districts and he believes over 
85% of the Helmand population will have access to a registration 
site.  He said further attempts to open VR sites in Naw Zad, 
Baghran, Vashir, Kanashin and Dishu would be very difficult.    IEC 
headquarters continues to consult with the police and army, as well 
as local leaders, to determine whether voter registration can begin 
in these areas. 
 
Registration Materials Required 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Hadi told the assembled body that his only remaining 
concern is the required VR materials have not arrived in Lashkar 
Gah.  He said he is in regular contact with the Kabul IEC office but 
lacks detailed information, making planning difficult. On January 
18, IEC headquarters field staff briefed that materials would move 
by land to district centers in Helmand that day.   Mangal said the 
IEC and the Afghan security forces must still be ready for the 
January20 start date but a small delay is likely unless the 
materials arrive shortly.  He said assistance from TFH will be 
required to move the VR material to Musa Qala, Sangin and Kajaki and 
further outreach efforts will be scheduled to build support for the 
program. 
 
But Will They Register 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Governor's outreach program has succeeded in informing 
many Helmand residents that the VR process is set to begin but many 
say they are unenthusiastic about the process.  Residents in Lashkar 
Gah have attended multiple shuras where the Governor, the Provincial 
Council, Parliament members and the IEC explained the process and 
urged participation.  Residents told PRTOFF that they have other 
concerns and registering to vote is not a priority.  In Sangin and 
Kajaki the call to register likewise was met with little enthusiasm; 
residents are more concerned about improving security.  Mangal has 
worked closely with all the Helmand district governors on the VR 
planning process and he may have to call on them to build support 
for VR if the initial effort falls short. 
 
TFH Supports VR Process 
------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) TFH did excellent work planning logistical and security 
support with the IEC throughout the process.  They met regularly 
with Engineer Hadi and Afghan security officials to review security 
threats and have in place a security screen around all the VR sites. 
 The security screen will be coordinated from Operational 
Coordination Centers (OCCs) at both the provincial and district 
level and Hadi believes he has enough security resources to protect 
the VR sites.  Transport for the district VR staff was arranged well 
in advance and the Governor conducted VR Shuras in Kajaki, Nad Ali 
and Sangin and plans to visit Musa Qala and Gereshk to continue 
promoting the VR process. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
 
KABUL 00000132  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Helmand IEC office, TFH and the Afghan Security forces 
are ready for the VR process and are confident they can handle the 
security challenges.  All are disappointed with the poor 
coordination with IEC headquarters, as any further delays could push 
VR further into the poppy eradication time frame.  The ANSF is 
already heavily committed to securing the VR sites and more Afghan 
security resources may be needed to support VR and poppy 
eradication. 
 
 
WOOD