VZCZCXRO3158
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #1099/01 2720804
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 290804Z SEP 09 ZDK CTG NUMEROUS REQUESTS
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4480
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001099 
 
NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPKO SOCI EAID SU
SUBJECT: VOTER REGISTRATION FACING MANY CHALLENGES 
 
REF: KHARTOUM 1098 
 
KHARTOUM 00001099  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The National Election Commission (NEC) announced 
that voter registration will take place from November 1 to November 
¶30.  Many challenges face the NEC including inadequate logistical 
plans, staffing shortfalls, poor constituency delimitation, and the 
lack of a voter education program.  Election advisors are 
pessimistic about the capacity of the NEC to successfully conduct 
voter registration.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------- 
PLAN ANNOUNCED, BUT ACTION NEEDED 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The NEC announced its final voter registration plan on 
September 25.  Registration will take place from November 1 to 
November 30.  Registration will be followed by a complaints period 
with the final voter list scheduled to be published at the beginning 
of January, 2010. 
 
¶3. (SBU) In a meeting with poloff on September 25, International 
Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Advisor Jerome 
Leyraud, stated that the NEC adopted several important proposals to 
meet the NEC goal of registering 80 percent of the eligible voter 
population, approximately 16.8 million people.  NEC agreed not to 
computerize its voter list, which posed significant logistical 
challenges, and agreed to a realistic number of voter registration 
staff.  While Leyraud assessed the plan as "feasible", he stated it 
must translate into concrete solutions to registration problems. 
According to Leyraud, "An inclusive and transparent registration is 
unlikely to happen.  The NEC is technically ill-prepared and the 
one-month countrywide registration is too optimistic." 
 
------------------------------ 
NO CONCRETE LOGISTICS IN PLACE 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) Leyraud indicated that a number of basic aspects of the 
voter registration plan remain unaddressed, including logistical 
plans for transporting voter registration materials.  In a meeting 
with poloff on September 24, international election advisors said 
they fear that even a well thought out voter registration plan may 
not translate into manageable plans on the ground. 
 
--------------- 
NEC LACKS STAFF 
--------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) According to Leyraud and Ray Kennedy, UNMIS Chief Electoral 
Affairs Officer, NEC has not yet begun recruitment of the 
approximately 10,821 registration staff, though staff training is 
scheduled to begin in a week. In addition, the voter registration 
training manual has yet to be finalized and printed. 
 
------------------------------ 
CONSTITUENCY DELIMITATION POOR 
------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Constituency delimitation will be a major challenge to 
registration according to Lisa Handley, a constituency delimitation 
expert.  Handley stated that the lack of detailed delimitation will 
leave voters, State Election High Committees and the NEC thoroughly 
confused (reftel).  According to Handley, constituencies have been 
poorly defined and have unclear boundaries.  This will likely result 
in confusion of registration officials and voters regarding who is 
eligible to register in which registration center. Furthermore, some 
settled areas, for example in Darfur, were not assigned to 
constituencies, increasing the likelihood of disenfranchisement of 
voters if not addressed. 
 
------------------------------- 
VOTER EDUCATION PROGRAM DELAYED 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Kennedy and Leyraud indicated that a major voter education 
campaign is only in the planning stages.  In the short time 
remaining before November 1, it is imperative for the NEC and State 
Election High Committees to inform voters about the registration 
process, the election process and the registration locations. 
 
¶7. (SBU) COMMENT: The NEC has many challenges to overcome to assure 
successful voter registration.  In light of the problems inherent in 
the process as announced, the process may break down, and if so, the 
NEC may be forced to revert to unorthodox registration methods, such 
as relying on the NCP/state apparatus to mobilize resources in the 
North, as it did in the 2003 election.  Any failure of the voter 
 
KHARTOUM 00001099  002 OF 002 
 
 
registration process is likely to foreshadow the NEC's incapacity to 
prepare for and conducting polling.  END COMMENT. 
 
 
ASQUINO