VZCZCXRO6760
PP RUEHDBU RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #0465/01 0611331
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021331Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7571
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000465 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV AF
SUBJECT: MAKING ELECTIONS AFGHAN, WITH HELP 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  At the semi-annual ISAF headquarters conference 
for the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) held February 
25-26, key Afghan players on elections highlighted the 
dramatic increase in the capabilities of Afghan institutions, 
thanked international partners for their support, and spelled 
out requests for the 2009 elections.  The Independent 
Election Commission (IEC) asked the PRTs to help construct 
IEC provincial offices, mentor the police and army in 
provincial-level election security planning and operations, 
and help coordinate the provision of logistical support -- 
especially air transport -- by the security forces to the 
IEC.  The IEC encouraged ISAF and the Afghan security forces 
to incorporate international forces into election security 
plans to close the gap in the number of troops needed at 
polling centers on voting day. 
 
--------------------------- 
INDEPENDENT AND SUSTAINABLE 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Dr. Azizullah Ludin, senior IEC Commissioner, on 
February 25 announced that the IEC, in its first independent 
electoral project, had exceeded its target of 2 million new 
voters for the just-concluded registration update by some 2.3 
million additional voters, a resounding success.  He noted a 
recent academic study concluded the Afghan IEC was a 
stronger, more competent organization that comparable 
electoral bodies in Iraq, Kosovo and East Timor.  Only two 
years old, the IEC had started its work without desks or 
chairs, funded by a modest 600,000 USD government budget, and 
facing stiff salary competition from international 
organizations for staff with experience and skills.  The IEC 
had overcome these challenges, and Ludin expressed the 
Commission's thanks to Afghan and international security 
forces for their support in voter registration. Deputy 
Interior Minister Mangal said, amid serious threats, 
successful security planning meant that during four months of 
voter registration only two police officers were killed, and 
only three officers and two election workers were injured, in 
connection with the process. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Speaking three days before Karzai's ambiguous 
decree on the election date, Ludin carefully explained the 
Commission had based its choice of an August 20 election date 
on the Constitution, which called for a universal franchise. 
He acknowledged continuing "rumors" and "discussion" about an 
earlier date but underscored the Commission's political 
independence and steady work on its detailed plans for "free, 
fair, legitimate, and universal" elections on August 20. 
Looking ahead to future elections, the IEC hoped to establish 
permanent provincial offices, rather than continuing to lease 
space, to reduce costs to a level sustainable by the Afghan 
national budget.  Ludin suggested the PRTs could contribute 
to this infrastructure development effort. 
 
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FOR ELECTIONS, EVEN BETTER 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Dr. Daoud Ali Najafi, Chief Technical Officer of 
the IEC, on February 26 identified the IEC's "lessons 
learned" from voter registration for use in election planning. 
 
-- The IEC, its international technical advisors, and the 
security forces benefit from time to plan election activities 
in advance. 
 
-- The IEC needs to improve communication between its 
headquarters and field elements, partly through procedures, 
and partly by equipping more of the remote sites with 
satellite phones. 
 
-- Election security works better when the IEC works closely 
with the security forces, and when, in turn, the different 
security elements -- police, army, intelligence and 
international forces -- clearly divide responsibilities.  In 
particular, Najafi argued for greater use of the regional and 
provincial security coordination centers (OCC-Rs and OCC-Ps) 
as operation centers, with PRT or other international 
elements serving as mentors. 
 
-- The IEC found local initiatives key to problem-solving, 
and will give its provincial offices more responsibility for 
planning election operations, movements of materials, and 
public outreach, including organizing the very effective 
local voter mobilization shuras. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Najafi specifically requested ISAF consider how to 
help provide security to polling centers on voting day.  He 
said that, with some 7000 voting sites nationwide, police 
resources will be inadequate.  Police Colonel Alimas likewise 
emphasized this point at the IEC's weekly election security 
 
KABUL 00000465  002 OF 002 
 
 
meeting on March 2.  Alimas reported early police planning 
showed voting day would need 56,000 police devoted to 
election security.  Even putting aside all other missions, 
such as border policing, the National Police have only 52,000 
troops. 
DELL