VZCZCXRO0549
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #3161 3421508
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 081508Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5662
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 003161 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR PHEE, VROOMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/07/2029 
TAGS: POL KDEM IZ
SUBJECT: ELECTION DATE TO BE FIXED FOR MARCH 6 
 
REF: BAGHDAD 3157 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Yuri Kim for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Despite assurances early on December 8 from advisors 
to the Presidency Council's members that elections would take 
place on February 27, Reuters reported late in the day that 
the date would instead be fixed for March 6. (Note: Under 
Iraqi law, the Presidency Council - President Talabani, VP 
Hashimi and VP al-Mehdi - is tasked with determining the 
election date after consulting with the Independent High 
Electoral Commission (IHEC).  End note.) Nasser al-Ani, Chief 
of Staff for the Presidency Council, later confirmed to 
Deputy PolCouns that the elections would be held on March 6 
and said a decision to that effect would be signed and 
announced on December 9, with letters to be sent to IHEC and 
the Council of Representatives (COR).  When pressed on the 
reason for the change, he said February 27, the date proposed 
by UNAMI and initially agreed to by members of the Presidency 
Council and COR, had only been "a suggested date" and that 
more time was needed to "properly prepare" for the elections. 
 
¶2. (C) Separately, contacts at UNAMI told Poloff that IHEC 
met with the Presidency Council on December 8 and advised its 
members they were ready to stage elections as early as 
February 24.  IHEC commissioners told UNAMI that Hashimi 
pushed hard for February 27; however, Talabani and al-Mehdi 
insisted on March 6.  The Presidency Council consulted PM 
Maliki, who supported March 6, ostensibly because it would 
give him more time to move security forces after the Ashura 
holiday. (Note: IHEC's Shi'a commissioners noted for UNAMI 
that Ashura would not in fact be over by March 6 and believed 
it offered a convenient pretext for moving the date to March 
¶6.  End note.)  Talabani argued that snow in northern (i.e., 
Kurdish) regions could negatively impact voter turnout; the 
delay would help ensure fairer weather. (Comment: A dubious 
argument since provincial elections were held in January 2009 
and national elections in December 2005.  End comment.) 
Talabani and al-Mehdi also argued that the additional time 
would help facilitate out-of-country voting, a claim IHEC and 
UNAMI say is unsubstantiated by any technical reason.  IHEC 
commissioners told UNAMI contacts it appeared the date of 
March 6 had been determined before their briefing to the 
Presidency Council. 
HILL