VZCZCXRO0191
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHNM #0211/01 0850620
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260620Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4928
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 3489
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0794
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000211 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, AND DRL/EA 
ACCRA ALSO FOR AF/WA 
PARIS FOR AF WATCHER 
PLS PASS TO USAID FOR AFR/W 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM SOCI PHUM PREL NG
SUBJECT:  NIGER:  UNDP, DONORS DISCUSS SUPPORT FOR NIGER'S 2009 
ELECTIONS, EXPECTED DELAY IN LOCAL ELECTIONS 
 
Ref:  a) Niamey 00057, b) 08 Niamey 00727 
 
NIAMEY 00000211  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  During a March 18 meeting for development 
partners, GON officials, and civil society representatives, 
discussion focused on the nearly complete voter registration 
process, the prospect that this and delays in forming the CENI would 
delay local elections anticipated for June 30, and funding 
requirements for elections-related purposes.  Presidential and 
parliamentary elections remain planned for November 2009. 
Development partners expressed desires for direct appeals from the 
GON for assistance, as well as clarification as to GON budgetary 
provisions for the elections.  End summary. 
 
UNDP Hosts Development Partner and Civil Society Update 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶2. (U) On March 18, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 
Resident Representative Khardiata Lo N'Diaye hosted a donors' 
meeting to examine a draft electoral assistance document for the 
2009 local and general elections in Niger.  Charge and Pol 
Specialist attended the meeting, which included the President of the 
National Commission to Pilot the Revision of the Voter Register 
(CNPRFE); the Independent National Electoral Commission's (CENI) 
Permanent Secretary; the National Council for Political Dialogue's 
(CNDP) Permanent Secretary; senior advisors from the Government of 
Niger's (GON) Prime Minister's office and Ministries of Interior, 
Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and the Economy and Finance; 
foreign missions' representatives; and members of civil society. 
 
Voter Registration Process Now in Last Stage 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) CNPRFE President Moumouni Hamidou assured donors that his 
commission had started the third and last phase of the voter 
registration process, i.e., the posting and correction of voter 
lists in their respective communes.  He reported that 6,053,783 
voters had been registered and 19,093 polling stations identified 
nationwide.  On February 17, the commission posted voter lists in 
five of the country's eight regions.  On March 2, it started posting 
lists in the three remaining regions.  The last posting took place 
on March 17 in the urban commune of Agadez.  Voters have one month 
from the posting date to allow for the handling of any objections 
and adjustments.  Once all comments on the lists are handled, the 
national voter register will be considered complete and official. 
(Note:  Reftels detail the ongoing voter registration process.  End 
note.) 
 
Voter Register/CENI Formation to Delay Local Elections 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Hamidou said that he expects to submit the new national 
voter register in May.  However, he raised some concerns over the 
delay in meeting the timeline for local elections, which were 
anticipated for June 30.  In fact, the Electoral Code says that a 
council of ministers or presidential decree should announce local 
elections 107 days before the voting date.  Because the CNPRFE has 
yet to submit the voter register and the CENI yet to be established, 
the GON has not issued such a decree.  Hamidou concluded that given 
that the voter register would not be available until May, it would 
be "technically" impossible to hold elections in June, so it is 
incumbent upon the government and the political elite (through the 
CNDP) to address this problem. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Presidential and parliamentary elections, however, are 
expected to be held within legal deadlines.  After the UNDP meeting, 
the CNDP Permanent Secretary told the Charge that the CNDP would 
convene a meeting "very soon" to examine the possibility of 
requesting an extension until July for local elections to meet the 
Electoral Code's time limits. 
 
UNDP Outlines Electoral Assistance Needs 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Ms. Bossa, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, made a 
presentation on the Project to Support Niger's 2009 Electoral 
Process, which was drafted in November 2008 based on joint 
consultations and a needs assessment conducted among the UNDP, GON, 
CNPRFE, CENI Permanent Secretary, and development partners.  The 
project includes a notional budget of $29.3 m (15.02 billion CFA) 
for five elections (local, district, regional, legislative, and 
presidential) for the CENI, the legal authority in charge of 
 
NIAMEY 00000211  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
managing and securing the national voter register, as well as 
organizing, administering, and supervising electoral and referendum 
operations. 
 
¶7. (U) The project, which will layer on an unspecified level of GON 
funding, seeks to provide the CENI with technical assistance to 
support key areas, including training, sensitization, logistics, and 
voting operations.  The document will also help development partners 
determine their contributions to the electoral process, as formally 
requested by the GON via a letter from the Prime Minister to the 
UNDP Resident Representative.  In addition to technical assistance 
for the CENI, the project will support voter education, political 
party training, minority group participation, and awareness raising 
for civil society organizations. 
 
Development Partners Seek Level of GON Contribution 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) GON, development partners, and civil society 
representatives welcomed this initiative and made various comments 
to enrich the project document.  Despite a GON allocation of 13 
billion CFA (USD 26.5 million) in its 2009 budget for elections, 
most donors wanted to know the exact GON contributions to specific 
election-related activities.  The Ministry of Interior's Director of 
Political and Legal Affairs indicated that the GON's contribution 
would be made clear "within a couple of days." 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) During a similar meeting in October 2008, the UNDP said 
donors should not expect any formal requests from the GON for 
assistance with elections, as this step has already been taken with 
the tasking of the UNDP to come up with an election assistance plan. 
 Development partner representatives present in the March 18 meeting 
noted the need for the GON to transmit formal requests to individual 
embassies or assistance missions.  This is necessary so that 
requests can be advanced to capitals for funding; Charge noted that 
16 presidential and/or parliamentary elections were scheduled in 
sub-Saharan Africa in 2009, perhaps rendering funding a competitive 
matter among African countries assisted.  This concern was 
reiterated by Charge during a March 25 monthly donors' breakfast, 
wherein the UNDP Res Rep made a briefer presentation on the upcoming 
elections.  Other donor reps present concurred with the need for 
further information, including direct appeals from the GON for 
assistance.  End comment. 
 
¶10. (U) Minimize considered. 
 
Whitaker