VZCZCXRO5789
PP RUEHDBU RUEHPW
DE RUEHBUL #1140/01 1241644
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041644Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8734
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 001140 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV AF
SUBJECT: BUTTRESSING THE INTEGRITY OF AFGHANISTAN'S 
ELECTORAL PROCESS 
 
REF: A. KABUL 891 
     ¶B. KABUL 993 
     ¶C. KABUL 1044 
     ¶D. KABUL 1136 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: The Independent Electoral Commission 
(IEC), the UN, the international community, and Afghan 
government institutions are creating many electoral 
safeguards for the August 2009 presidential and provincial 
council elections.  Much of the elections' credibility, for 
both Afghans and international stakeholders, will depend on 
the effectiveness of these mechanisms.  Educating voters, 
candidates, and the international community on safeguards and 
building public confidence in the protections remains a 
challenge. The IEC's public outreach campaign does not ramp 
up until May.  We will continue to encourage the UN, the IEC, 
and other appropriate organizations to promote and publicize 
these important protections for the electoral process. 
SEPTEL will address the role of civil society in the election 
process.  END SUMMARY. 
 
THE IEC'S ANTI FRAUD MEASURES 
------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Safeguards against electoral fraud start with the 
IEC.  Indelible ink and the integrity of polling officials 
are the main protections against multiple voting.  The IEC 
knows the importance of quality indelible ink and has engaged 
with UNDP to ensure the procurement meets the highest 
standards.  Registration for provincial council and 
presidential candidates requires a set number of signatures 
and voter registration card numbers (ref A).  The IEC is 
standing firm on these requirements.  (Some candidates have 
asked instead to provide photocopies of the voter 
registration cards.)  The requisite signature and card number 
allows the IEC to check that each card's information matches 
the IEC database allowing confirmation of authenticity. 
Performing the initial vote count in the polling centers with 
candidate agents and domestic observers present will reduce 
the risk of counting center fraud. 
 
THE ELECTORAL COMPLAINTS COMMISSION (ECC) 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶3.  (U) On April 26, the ECC conducted its first meeting and 
named Grant Kippen as the ECC Chairman.  The ECC is an 
independent body that adjudicates all challenges and 
complaints related to the electoral process (ref B).  A 45 
person secretariat supports the five commissioners at the 
Kabul headquarters; Provincial Complaints Commissions (PCCs) 
will represent the ECC in each province.  The PCCs will 
accept complaints, investigate and make initial findings. 
Complaints can originate with any eligible voter, UNAMA 
regional offices and agents of political parties and 
candidates.  The ECC will initiate cases, review PCC 
decisions, hear appeals and, if necessary for PCC security, 
investigate initial complaints.  The ECC is working with its 
contracting agent and hopes to begin hiring for headquarters 
within the week, having already identified potential staff. 
 
THE ELECTORAL MEDIA COMMISSION 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) Article 51 of the electoral law requires the IEC to 
establish an Electoral Media Commission (EMC) 60 days prior 
to polling day.  The IEC has identified five commissioners - 
including two women - and office space for the EMC.  Once the 
office is equipped and functional - anticipated by mid-May, 
the EMC will begin operations - well ahead of the June 20 
legal requirement.  The EMC will establish and run a USD 2 
million program to provide each presidential candidate with 
free airtime on radio and television, funded through the 
elections budget.  The EMC will monitor mass media coverage 
of the electoral campaign, as well as review alleged 
violations in fair reporting and treatment of the political 
campaign period.  Complaints the EMC determines are breaches 
of the Media Code of Conduct can be referred to the media 
commission of the Ministry of Information and Culture.  In 
the 48 hours before voting day, the EMC will enforce the 
IEC-mandated media silence on candidates and political 
campaigns. 
 
TRAINING & MONITORING THE MEDIA 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U) UNDP is contracting an independent company to develop 
an initiative to monitor media programs and provide feedback 
to the Afghan public on elections reporting.  The project is 
designed to complement the EMC's work and focus on fairness, 
accuracy, balance, impartiality and lack of bias.  The 
implementing company will provide regular reports on 
 
KABUL 00001140  002 OF 002 
 
 
findings; sharpening the awareness of voters as to which 
media outlets are reporting on elections, and the quality and 
fairness of their coverage. 
 
¶6.  (U) To enhance media monitoring, UNDP plans to sponsor 
training and mentoring for journalists, broadcasters, editors 
and owners on providing responsible and unbiased coverage of 
the elections.  UNDP will provide two rounds of training to 
take place in every province.  The first round will focus on 
elections, covering the electoral process, candidates, 
platforms and ethics in politics.  The second round will 
address fair reporting techniques highlighting the importance 
of balance, impartiality, and accuracy in elections coverage. 
 
 
ELECTIONS WATCHERS IDENTIFIED 
------------------------------ 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Domestic and international observers are finalizing 
plans to participate in the electoral process.  The Brussels 
review of the EU's report based on its exploratory mission on 
elections observation is pending, but initial feedback 
suggests the EU will deploy a long-term observation team 
around the country (ref C).  OSCE's initial assessment 
suggested deployment of a 10-12 member support team for 
approximately five weeks.  For bilateral observers, Japan is 
considering sending a team to Bamyan, while Australia may 
send election monitors to Uruzgan.  We will continue engaging 
other diplomatic missions on possible bilateral observation 
teams.  FeFA, the domestic observer body, plans to deploy 
roughly 8,000 election day observers (ref D).  FeFA welcomes 
possible cooperation with the regional group ANFREL, of which 
it is a member. 
 
¶8.  (U) Afghan electoral law allows political parties and 
individual candidates to have registered agents at polling 
centers to observe election proceedings and the ballot count. 
 Participation of these agents will strengthen the Afghan 
public opinion in the legitimacy of the election.  UNDP will 
contract to provide training for candidate and party agents; 
cooperating with the IEC to identify linkages to the agent 
accreditation process. 
 
VERIFYING POLITICAL RIGHTS 
--------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (U) In 2004 and 2005, UNAMA and the Afghanistan 
Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) implemented a 
political rights verification campaign to assess the 
political rights environment.  UNAMA and the AIHRC have hired 
a coordinator to execute a similar review for the 2009 
Presidential and Provincial Council Elections.  The project's 
goals will be to: 1) monitor political rights and document 
violations; 2) identify trends of violations that prevent the 
exercise of political rights; 3) take preventative and 
corrective measures on individual cases during the electoral 
process.  The implementers will draft three reports, one for 
each major stage of the electoral process: candidate 
nomination - including complaints and appeals; political 
campaign period; and polling day. 
RICCIARDONE