VZCZCXRO8906
PP RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #2469/01 2341709
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221709Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1022
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002469 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AF
SUBJECT: AFGHAN ELECTIONS: FEW DIFFICULTIES WITH 
TRANSPORTATION OF BALLOT MATERIALS TO KABUL 
 
¶1.    (U) SUMMARY: In the two days after polls closed, the 
transportation of ballots to provincial centers and Kabul has 
run smoothly.  Ballot box and tally sheet retrieval began 
yesterday and will continue through August 28.  So far, ISAF 
and ANSF have successfully delivered about half of all ballot 
boxes and results to provincial offices.  Despite some 
threats from insurgents to disrupt the transportation of 
elections materials, PRTs are reporting few difficulties. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
A (Mostly) Smooth Road to Ballot Collection Centers 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2.  (U) According to ISAF, transportation of election 
material from the provinces to the tally center in Kabul is 
going smoothly, though it will take several days to get all 
of the material to Kabul.  Tally sheets from polling centers 
around the country were placed with reconciliation lists and 
voting lists into tamper-evident bags on August 20 and 21. 
ISAF and ANSF are responsible for transporting these bags to 
District and Provincial IEC Headquarters, from where the 
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the UN will move 
the materials to Kabul for counting.  199 tamper-evident bags 
containing results from polling centers in Panjshir and 
Parwan have already arrived at IEC Headquarters in Kabul. 
The IEC expects the remaining elections materials to arrive 
by August 28. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On August 22, ISAF shared reports with the Embassy 
Election Team that insurgents are planning to attack convoys 
carrying election materials back to the Provincial IEC hubs 
from the polling centers.  Despite threats throughout the 
south, east, and west, however, we have not yet heard reports 
of insurgents interfering with the transportation of election 
materials.  The only transportation difficulties that have 
been reported to us involve a lack of air assets in Purchaman 
and Gulistan districts in Farah province. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Tranportation Details from the Provinces 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) RC South: 
 
-- Kandahar: As of the afternoon of August 22, ballot 
counting had not yet occurred in 20 polling centers in 
Kandahar Province, including certain centers in Arghandab, 
Panjwayi, and Maywand, and all polling centers in Khakrez. 
Most ballot boxes are being retrieved by ground 
transportation, though ISAF air transport retrieved ballots 
in Nish the evening of August 21. 
 
-- Zabul: As of late evening on August 21, counting in Zabul 
was ongoing.  The Zabul PEO told the State Department PRT 
Officer that he thought voter turnout was approximately 
18-20,000, or 15 percent of the 128,000 voters in Zabul. 
Counting is expected to be completed on Saturday, August 22. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) RC East: 
 
-- Nuristan: The retrieval of election materials, including 
ballots, was nearly on schedule in Nuristan.  Officials will 
transport materials for collection to Nurgram district, 
Jalalabad, and Asadabad rather than to the provincial capital 
Parun in order to accommodate the rough terrain.  In Nurgram 
district all polling sites had delivered their tally sheets 
and ballots to the collection point by mid-afternoon on 
August 22.  Dow Ab district materials, with the exception of 
those from Kolak village, also arrived on August 22. 
 
-- Paktya: Several district governors reported to the PRT 
representative that ballots were counted at the polling 
centers, transported to the district centers, and in many 
cases were already on their way to the IEC center in Gardez. 
As of 18:00 the PRT confirmed that the IEC center had 
received tally sheets from all of Paktya's districts except 
Chamkani, Jani Khel, Laja Mengal, and Dand wa Patan.  ISAF is 
scheduled to move Jani Khel's tally sheets by air on August 
23, though coalition forces are working to have ANA air pick 
up the sheets before August 23.   According to the district 
governors, ANSF were assisting with the transport of ballots 
and tally sheets.  The district governor in Wazi Zadran also 
noted that ANSF were very pleased with their cooperation with 
coalition forces. 
 
-- Paktika: PEO Taj Ali reported to PRT that all votes have 
been counted in polling stations throughout Paktika.  The 
delivery of tally sheets and non-sensitive items to the IEC 
office in Sharana is ongoing; Taj Ali expects all material to 
arrive by Monday, August 24.  The IEC is currently tabulating 
 
KABUL 00002469  002 OF 002 
 
 
results they have received from Orgun, Bermel, Sarobi, Yaya 
Khel, Sharana, and Saw Hawza. 
 
-- Wardak and Logar: All of the ballots in Logar are now at 
the IEC warehouse in Pul-i-Alam.  In Wardak all ballots are 
at the IEC warehouse in Mayden Shah, except for the ballots 
from Markazi Beshood, Hasa Awal Beshood, Jalrez, and 
Daymardad districts.  Ballots from these districts were in 
transit as of late afternoon on August 22.  Ballots from both 
Wardak and Logar will most likely be transported to Kabul 
either late August 22 or early August 23. 
 
-- Ghazni: As of the afternoon of August 22, coalition air 
assets have transported ballots and voting materials from 
Zanakhan, Rashidan, Khogyani, Giro, and Jagatu districts back 
to the IEC in Ghazni City.  Coalition assets will seek to 
return materials from Jaghori, Malestan, Nawur, and 
Ajiristan.  Afghan security forces will transport materials 
from other districts. 
 
-- Panjshir: On August 21, the PEO transported tamper-evident 
bags from 48 polling centers to Kabul, and is ready to 
transport an additional 43 tamper-evident bags today, August 
22, bringing the total to 91.  There is some confusion over 
the remaining four tamper-evident bags, which may have 
arrived at the PEO mislabeled. 
 
¶6. (U) RC North: 
 
-- Mazar-e-Sharif: The IEC Regional Coordinator for the 
Northwest reported that all ballot boxes had arrived in the 
provincial centers as of 17:30 August 22, and they will be 
flown from there to Kabul. 
 
¶7.  (U) RC West: 
 
-- Ghor: UNDP-Elect reported to the PRT representative that 
the securing and transport of sensitive materials is on 
track.  UNDP and IEC predict all sensitive materials will be 
in Chaghcharan by August 23, and they expect to send the 
sensitive materials to Kabul the same afternoon. 
 
-- Farah: Officials in Farah are focusing on the 
transportation of ballots out of Purchaman and Gulistan. 
Purchaman is isolated from the rest of Farah by extremely 
high mountain ranges.  Unpaved roads limit travel from the 
neighboring district of Gulistan, so materials will need to 
be airlifted back to Farah. However, air assets are broken 
with no prospect as to when they will be repaired.  Gulistan 
faces a similar problem due to a shortage of air assets.  The 
U.S. Marines are proposing to escort the materials to Delaram 
and then send them to the Farah Rud station in Bala Baluk. 
Bala Baluk materials are in the Farah Rud ANP compound, 
awaiting the ANA to escort them to Farah city.  ANA and 
Marines are currently escorting materials from Baqwa to Farah 
city. 
EIKENBERRY