VZCZCXRO8910
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0785/01 1761421
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 251421Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3990
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000785 
 
DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A/S CARSON, AF/E, DRL 
NSC FOR MGAVIN 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: SUDANESE ELECTIONS DATE TO SLIDE TO APRIL 2010 
 
REF: A) KHARTOUM 739 
B) KHARTOUM 714 
C) KHARTOUM 696 
D) KHARTOUM 578 
E) KHARTOUM 400 
F) KHARTOUM 223 
 
1.(SBU) On June 24, National Electoral Commission (NEC) Deputy 
Chairman Professor Abdalla Mohamed Abdalla told poloffs that because 
release of the 2008 national census results was delayed, Sudanese 
elections will likely shift from February 2010 to April 2010 (refs A 
and C).  According to Abdalla, the NEC based its initial electoral 
timetable, which called for national elections to take place from 
February 1-15, 2010, on the Government of National Unity's (GNU's) 
intent to release census data to the NEC by April 15, 2009. 
Disagreement and controversy between the Government of National 
Unity (GNU) and the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) over the 
census results significantly  delayed their roll-out and prevented 
the NEC from meeting its first electoral target - demarcation of 
electoral constituencies by mid-May 2009 (refs E and F). 
 
¶2. (SBU) The NEC Deputy Chairman conceded that all other deadlines, 
including voter registration and balloting, also will be affected by 
this late start.  In order to avoid disenfranchising voters due to 
the onset of the rainy season, Abdalla explained that voter 
registration will shift to late October 2009 (in lieu of June 2009) 
and continue for 30 days.  Abdalla said that during the July-early 
October rainy season, the NEC and the election high committees will 
focus on voter and civic education, as well as education of election 
agents.  The Deputy Chair noted that the NEC already has begun to 
liaise with Sudan's security agencies to prepare a safe electoral 
environment, and added that discussion of electoral security will 
continue throughout the rainy season.  He told poloffs that with the 
latest shift in the election timetable, balloting likely will begin 
in early April 2010.  He noted that Commission members still are 
discussing all date shifts, but that a public announcement of a new 
election date would likely be released next week. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The U.S.-educated Deputy Chairman, who served as the 
Sudanese Ambassador to the U.S. in the early 90s, proudly noted that 
the NEC has successfully delimited national constituencies based on 
the census data and had completed the establishment of all state 
high election committees and the Southern Sudan High Election 
Committee (ref C).  He expressed concern that, although the final 
results have been announced, the GNU and Government of Southern 
Sudan (GoSS) still have not fully agreed on the census outcome.  If 
the parties strike a political deal to adjust census figures, minor 
modifications to the make-up of constituencies will have to be made, 
he said. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Abdalla proudly noted that the NEC has received no 
negative feedback on the selection of the members of the high 
committees, who are "highly educated" and are mostly retired judges, 
teachers, and police officers.  Each state high committee consists 
of five members:  a Chairman and four officers, as well as a senior 
elections expert.  According to Abdalla, the committees are 
beginning to recruit their own staff.  The Deputy Chairman also 
noted that the UN is purchasing two vehicles for each of the 26 
committees to carry out their work. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Poloff asked Abdalla about the capacity of the 
Khartoum-based NEC.  "We have been very selective in whom we have 
chosen to advise us, thus we have not expanded quickly," he said. 
"Now that the electoral process is accelerating, we will need to 
recruit more staff," he added.  Currently, the nine-member NEC has 
seven advisors working with it on various issues such as domestic 
observation, voter registration, donor coordination, media, and 
training.  This is in addition to the assistance provided to the NEC 
by the UN, the USG through the International Federation of Electoral 
Systems (IFES), and other international donors. [Note:  The NEC has 
been heavily criticized by the UN for its "shocking" lack of 
capacity, which the UN says hampers the Commission from being able 
to work on high-level electoral policy decisions and instead bogs it 
down in dealing with technical details.  End Note.] (ref D) 
 
¶6. (SBU) Professor Abdalla told poloffs that in accordance with the 
Political Parties Act, 69 political parties are currently officially 
registered to compete in the upcoming elections.  [Note:  More 
parties are likely to follow suit.  End note.]  He characterized the 
Commission's communication with the parties as good, stating that 
the NEC has held forums to meet with all the parties, and has never 
turned down a request to meet with a party on an individual basis. 
"All, I believe, have a positive impression of the NEC," stated 
Abdalla.  He noted that the parties' chief complaints about the 
upcoming electoral process are what they describe as the repressive 
 
KHARTOUM 00000785  002 OF 002 
 
 
electoral environment (particularly if a reformed national security 
law is not adopted prior to elections,) the inability of full 
elections to take place in Darfur, and the parties' lack of 
resources to campaign effectively. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Poloff asked Abdulla for his impression of the recently 
adopted press/media law.  The latter has been severely criticized by 
international media watchdog groups for retaining what they view as 
oppressive measures on the press, even though the law is intended to 
create a freer media environment.  Abdulla noted that the new law is 
a good step in providing expanded freedom to the press/media.  He 
added that Chapter 11 of the National Electoral Act itself also 
provides protection to press/media during the electoral campaign. 
As the National Assembly closed its session on June 24 and will not 
reopen until October 2009, poloff asked Abdulla if he was concerned 
that the parties had not agreed upon a reformed national security 
law.  The Deputy Chair responded that he was "not that worried" 
about it, again because the electoral law protects the campaign 
process from government interference.  Furthermore, Abdalla said 
that the NEC has the power to call for and encourage the GNU to have 
a "low profile" during elections so as not to inhibit or intimidate 
during the process. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Comment:  While the NEC has made some progress in terms of 
delimiting national constituencies and establishing state and the 
Southern Sudan high election committees, its capacity remains low. 
It will need to quickly ramp up its manpower if it is to plan and 
carry out voter registration effectively in October 2009.  That the 
elections will be delayed past the NEC's originally-announced date 
of February 2010 comes as no surprise, given the Commission's slow 
start, inadequate funding from the GNU, and reliance upon the 
Presidency to release census results - which remain in dispute and 
continue to be the subject of North-South political wrangling. 
Fortunately, the NEC's new notional calendar puts both voter 
registration and balloting squarely in the dry season, making both 
events accessible to voters throughout Sudan, barring any political 
interference or intimidation.  The inadequate legal and operational 
environment to facilitate free and fair elections remains a major 
concern for Sudanese opposition parties, civil society, the 
electorate, and international donors to the elections process. 
Serious reforms to the national security law must be enacted before 
the campaigning and polling season in order to allow parties, 
candidates and voters to speak freely and express their will.  We 
should also expect that if the elections calendar continues to slip, 
it will jeopardize planning for the 2011 referenda for Southern 
Sudan and Abyei and the popular consultations in Blue Nile and 
Southern Kordofan. 
 
ASQUINO