VZCZCXRO8443
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #1661 1760649
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250649Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9710
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KABUL 001661 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM, INL/AP 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MCAP MOPS SNAR PREL PGOV PTER PHUM KDEM AF
 
SUBJECT: PRT LASHKAR GAH:  HELMAND ELECTIONS UPDATE 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  On June 22, Helmand Independent Election 
Commission (IEC) Provincial Electoral Officer Engineer Hadi spoke to 
registered Provincial Council (PC) candidates to describe campaign 
and elections procedures.  His deputy, Abdul Samad, addressed 
District Field Coordinators (DFCs), noting their roles, 
responsibilities and resources during the process.  Hadi concluded 
the session with a strong warning that any corruption would not be 
tolerated.  IEC regional director Wosi and UNAMA officials from 
Kandahar also attended the sessions, and UNAMA officials described 
general plans to open an office in Lashkar Gah in the next few 
months.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On June 22, IEC Provincial Electoral Officer Engineer Hadi 
spoke to Provincial Council (PC) candidates and outlined campaign 
guidelines.  Hadi told the candidates that it is their 
responsibility to educate voters about the PC's role and about their 
goals if elected.  He also stressed that enemy forces do not want 
the election to go well, and candidates must ensure that the people 
of Helmand understand that the election represents an alternative to 
Taliban governance.  Hadi's key points on the mechanics of 
campaigning included that no GIRoA resources could be used for 
campaigning and that candidates must secure permission from property 
owners before posting campaign posters.  The subsequent question and 
answer session was lively, with candidates asking about sending 
their own observers to polling stations, to which Hadi responded 
that candidates must register any monitors with the IEC within 45 
days.  Hadi also noted that no GIRoA resources will be devoted to 
those monitors' security or transport.  Participants asked if filled 
ballots could be brought to polling stations on behalf of people 
unable to reach the polls, and about any limits on candidates 
inviting voters to meals as part of their campaigns. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Following the talk to PC candidates, Hadi's deputy Abdul 
Samad spoke at length to recently-recruited DFCs who will work with 
police to identify polling stations.  (Note:  Although most of the 
PC candidates departed  after the first session, roughly 10 
candidates remained to listen to the DFC session.)  Samad told DFCs 
that although they will work under the direction of the IEC in 
Lashkar Gah, the DFCs must coordinate closely with local Chiefs of 
Police and District Administrators in the areas to which they are 
assigned, particularly during the initial phase of identifying the 
location of polling centers.  Samad noted that DFCs will have the 
authority to change the location of polling centers (from the 
original list used in the 2004 election) if alternate locations are 
more accessible, but that they must inform the IEC if they decide 
changes are necessary.  He also told them that they must secure 
agreement from the line directors of the Ministries of Health and 
Education if they wish to use a school or clinic as a polling 
center.  About transportation, Samad told DFCs that 2-3 DFCs will be 
allocated one vehicle and each 2-3 person team will be responsible 
for 5 polling centers.  A question arose as to whether there would 
be a senior DFC for each district, but neither Hadi nor Samad knew 
the answer and said they would seek clarification from Kabul. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The DFC session concluded with a lengthy pep talk from Hadi 
and Kandahar-based regional IEC head Wosi, who both praised the DFCs 
for their bravery in stepping forward to work in such a capacity. 
Eng. Hadi also stressed their responsibilities, noting the DFC's 
responsibility to ensure voting access so communities can have a say 
in their future.  Hadi concluded with a strongly-worded warning 
about corruption and transparency, saying that any reports he might 
receive of wrongdoing on the DFCs' part would not be ignored, but 
rather he would ensure that they were prosecuted. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) UNAMA officials from Kandahar traveled to Lashkar Gah to 
attend the sessions and to scout potential compounds for a new 
office planned for Lashkar Gah.  The UNAMA security officer told 
PRToff that the simplification of transportation in and out of the 
city made possible by the new Bost Airfield has bolstered the 
argument for a move to Helmand, and finding a suitable compound is 
now the urgent issue.  He reported having inspected several 
compounds, and identified the most promising as the compound 
currently occupied by USAID implementing partner Chemonics, which is 
scheduled to wrap-up its projects and move out of the province in 
the next few months.  The security officer told PRToff that if 
Chemonics could leave in place air conditioners, generators, and 
other key infrastructure when they departed the compound, UNAMA 
could stand-up its office much more quickly.  He said it was his 
understanding that the equipment in question belonged to USAID and 
that USAID could leave it in place by donating it to UNAMA.