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PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTI #0159/01 0701232
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111232Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7952
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2458

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000159 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE J.ISMAIL 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PHUM PREL AL
SUBJECT:  IS ALBANIA'S ID CARD SYSTEM ON TRACK? 
 
REF:  08 TIRANA 867 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) With just over one hundred days to go until the June 28 
parliamentary elections, attention is focused on the issuance of new 
Qards.  Changes in the electoral code require voters to possess 
either a new ID card or a valid passport in order to vote.  As of 
now, some 750,000 voters have no valid passport or ID, meaning they 
risk disenfranchisement if they do not get an ID or passport prior 
to June 28.  Although even the GOA admits that the ID issuance 
process is behind schedule, it insists that any Albanian voter who 
WANTS a new biometric ID card in time for the June 28 parliamentary 
elections should not face any technical or administrative obstacles. 
 The opposition, however, describes the ID process as a disaster, 
claiming loudly that large numbers of voters risk 
disenfranchisement.  The truth, of course, likely lies somewhere in 
between.  It seems at this point that the GOA should be able to 
issue up to one million IDs prior to the elections, but some 
considerable hurdles remain.  In the event any voters are denied the 
right to vote because they lack IDs, the losing side will likely cry 
fraud.  End Summary. 
Better late than never? 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Almost immediately upon coming to power in 2005, Prime 
Minister Berisha pledged to issue new, biometric IDs to all Albanian 
citizens.  Only in mid-2008 did the GOA finally grant French company 
Sagem and their partner the Albanian American Enterprise Fund (AAEF) 
a contract to produce biometric cards under a concession agreement 
(reftel).  (NOTE: The AAEF has a 25 percent investment stake in the 
concession and has no formal management role.  Sagem is in charge of 
printing and issuing the IDs.  END NOTE). 
 
¶3. (SBU) When Sagem finally began producing ID cards in mid-January, 
both opposition politicians and the international community 
expressed concerns that not enough ID cards would be produced in 
time for the June parliamentary elections.  However, the government, 
Sagem and AAEF insist that all voters without passports will be able 
to get ID cards in time for the elections.  Yet even this is a 
significant scaling back of the GOA's earlier goal of issuing some 
three million IDs by June 28. 
 
The GOA and Sagem say project is on track 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Deputy Minister of Interior Poni recently told econoff that 
the project is completely on track and that he is confident all 
citizens who want ID cards by the elections will have them.  He did 
express frustration, however, that citizens, particularly in more 
remote areas, have been slow to apply for their ID cards.  He said 
that in more urban areas such as Tirana, registration is proceeding 
normally and in fact is ahead of schedule, with all planned centers 
open and operating.  Both the GOA and Sagem point repeatedly to 
Sagem's printing capacity of 15,000 IDs per day as proof that no one 
will be without an ID on election day.  But Sagem cannot print the 
ID cards unless Albanians register for the cards first, and until 
now considerably fewer than 15,000 Albanians per day have registered 
to receive cards. 
 
Rural areas less confident 
-------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Outside of Tirana there is less enthusiasm about the new 
system.  Mayor of Berat Fadil Nasufi, a member of the opposition SP 
party, was quick to blame the government for not managing Sagem 
properly.  Nasufi said that Sagem has still not signed a contract 
for use of the municipality's space and has failed to provide a fast 
enough internet connection.  He also complained that the Central 
Registry (CR) provides no quality control over data CDs they send to 
the ID centers, resulting in further delays and inaccurate and 
out-of-date information. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Berat Prefect (a GOA official) Thoma Rumnici said 
registration was going well, but blamed Sagem for not processing 
applications fast enough.  Nevertheless, it appeared to a visiting 
Embassy team that, at least in Berat, Sagem is on track to issue IDs 
to all who need them - provided those voters go in and apply for IDs 
in the first place. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) While there is a lot of pre-election finger pointing and 
predictions of doom and gloom, at this point Post believes that all 
Albanians who want an ID card should be able to get one before the 
elections - assuming they don't all wait until the second week in 
June to apply.  Nevertheless, numerous hurdles remain - the rollout 
 
TIRANA 00000159  002 OF 002 
 
 
of registration centers in rural areas remains far behind schedule, 
and the ten euro application fee is expensive for many poor 
Albanians.  Many Albanians are suspicious of the new IDs, with some 
reportedly refusing to provide fingerprints for the biometric IDs. 
Finally, Post has seen some evidence that indicates that the GOA is 
manipulating the issuance of IDs in an effort to make sure 
pro-ruling party voters get their IDs first.  However, as we get 
closer to voting day, opposition parties are also likely to find 
creative ways to get IDs into the hands of their supporters.  In the 
end, all sides have an interest in the success of the process. 
First, for purely selfish reasons they need to be sure their own 
supporters can vote.  Second, the failure to hold successful 
elections, although it will be laid at the feet of the governing 
coalition, will set back the aspirations of all Albanians for EU 
membership. 
 
WITHERS