VZCZCXRO1055
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0387 0851708
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261708Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2127
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS DAKAR 000387 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM ECON SG
SUBJECT: Senegalese local elections: The Department of Medina Yoro 
Foulah will vote again 
 
REF: Dakar 384 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On March 28, electors will be called to vote for a 
second time in a week in the department of the Region of Kolda.  The 
Department of Medina Yorofoulah received their ballots after the 
official closing time of 18:00 and decided to conduct late night 
voting in violation of the law.  After the National Electoral 
Commission (CENA) publicized the violation, the government was left 
with little choice but to reorganize elections in this area.  End 
Summary. 
 
Late night voting 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The representative of CENA in Kolda told Embassy staff that 
in many areas the GOS had delivered the equipment needed to conduct 
the voting (booths and ballot boxes) but had failed to deliver 
ballots.  Some polling stations received their ballots around 14:00 
(six hours after the official opening time) and were able to conduct 
the vote by extending its duration.  However, some more remote areas 
received their ballots after the official closing time of 18:00. 
The CENA refused, for security reasons, to do an all night voting 
session in this area that has neither electricity nor a decent 
telephone network.  However, seven villages in Medina Yorofoulah 
choose to ignore the CENA's decision. 
 
Incompetence or Sabotage? 
------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Local opposition leaders were quick to claim collusion 
between local Ministry of Interior officials in charge of organizing 
the election and the ruling Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS) which 
was running under the banner of the SOPI coalition.  They maintain 
that SOPI counted on the fact that they as an opposition did not 
have the means to provide transportation for their voters and that 
they knew that these people would chose to simply not vote.  While 
it is almost impossible to prove the veracity of these allegations, 
Kolda is a more extreme case in the organizational problems that 
affected the voting as reported in reftel.  The human rights 
organization, Raddho's Kolda representative blames it on 
incompetence by GOS administrators. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶4. (SBU) Unofficial results indicate that the ruling party has won 
the Kolda region.  The local CENA representative told Embassy that 
the approximately 3,000 people who will re-vote will not overturn 
SOPI's regional victory, but that respecting the electoral law was 
the object of the exercise.  Once again CENA has proved that they 
are willing and ready to prevent the government from violating 
electoral laws.  Until this election the leadership of CENA was 
regarded as being way too passive and susceptible to pressure.  To 
many people's surprise, this election revealed that CENA's regional 
representatives are ready fill the vacuum to uphold democratic 
standards. 
Bernicat