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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGUI 000001 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C 
USUN FOR DMUERS 
PARIS FOR RKANEDA 
LONDON FOR PLORD 
NAIROBI  FOR AKARAS 
AFRICOM FOR JKUGEL 
INR FOR JPEKKINEN 
DRL FOR SCRAMPTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR CT
SUBJECT: THE ELECTION PROCESS IN THE CAR - A WORK IN PROGRESS 
 
REF: A 09 BANGUI 275 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The electoral prospectus for the 2010 Central 
African (CAR) presidential and legislative elections was 
announced by electoral authorities last month, but with a tight 
schedule and continuing violence in many parts of the country, 
the CAR will face many challenges in meeting the timeline.  Some 
of the tests include: conducting a thorough and transparent 
electoral census, a shortfall in financial resources and 
national infrastructure, and assuring the inclusion of the large 
number of internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees in the 
process.  The international community is also working to 
increase the participation of women as candidates.  While the 
Central African Government (CARG) has committed publically to 
holding timely, free, and transparent elections, a lack of 
resources and a questionable political will may exclude many 
Central Africans from participating in the democratic process. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------------- 
Electoral Timeline 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On December 17, 2009 the Independent Electoral 
Commission (IEC) announced the following electoral timetable for 
the Central African Republic: 
 
-- Electoral census - December 28, 2009 to February 7, 2010 
-- Filing and examination of candidate applications - March 6 to 
March 20 
-- Election Campaign - April 3 to 16 
-- First round of presidential and legislative elections - April 
18 
-- Second round (if needed) - May 23 
-- Proclamation of the results on June 7, 2010 
 
Some significant international partners such as France and the 
European Commission (EC) question the feasibility of the 
implementation of the electoral timetable (Ref A), but the IEC 
has confirmed that the timeline, while certainly ambitious, is 
workable and stressed that the plan was approved by a consensus 
of all parties to the IEC. 
 
--------------------- 
Election Hurdles 
--------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The IEC recently reported that some of the 2005 
electoral voter lists, long thought to have been lost, were 
found in an abandoned government building.  The discovery of the 
lists at this late date has sparked some concern over whether or 
not the rolls were actually ``found'' or if new lists - 
favorably to the CARG - had been created.  Rumors and 
accusations have been circulating, claiming that the government 
is engaging village chiefs and mayors - who are appointed by the 
President - to clandestinely prepare electoral lists favorable 
to the ruling KNK party.  To address these concerns, the IEC 
stated that all lists as well as the processes used to create 
the lists would be thoroughly reviewed before being certified. 
 
¶4. (U) Regardless, with the discovery of the new rolls, a debate 
over the elector census has begun in earnest.  With the alleged 
2005 lists in hand, the President of the IEC is calling for a 
simple updating of the lists, instead of the scheduled electoral 
census.  IEC opposition members, however, have objected and 
insist on a full, transparent electoral census with the 
assistance of the international community.  (Note: The 
opposition de facto only represents one-sixth of the IEC. End 
Note) Although Regional Coordinators and IEC staff deployed on 
 
BANGUI 00000001  002 OF 003 
 
 
December 28 to the various prefectures of the republic, we are 
waiting to see if they perform a full census or simply update 
the ``discovered'' lists.  With a condensed timeline, a lack of 
resources, and an estimated 1.8M eligible voters to be 
registered, Post suspects that only a simple update to the 2005 
lists will take place. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Within the problem of creating the electoral lists 
resides the quandary of how to include IDPs and refugees. 
International partners and the opposition continue to raise the 
need to include the 162,000 IDPs and 130,000 refugees - who 
represent 8 percent of the population - in the electoral 
process.  The IEC is investigating the possibility of organizing 
voter registration at IDP locations throughout the country, but 
acknowledges the logistical hurdles in doing so.  In addition, 
the IEC is discussing the enfranchisement of refugees living in 
Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the 
Republic of the Congo.  CAR consulates within these countries 
will probably not be able to assist with voter registration of 
refugees in any meaningful way given their lack of resources and 
ambition to assist voters likely hostile to the current 
government. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The opposition continues to demand that the government 
create an environment conducive for the return of refugees and 
IDPs, but observers are not optimistic on this count as the 
prefectures most affected by displacement and insecurity are 
exactly those that are least likely to vote for Bozize.  Thus, 
with just three and a half months remaining before the elections 
and with insecurity still widespread throughout the regions that 
has produced IDPs and refugees, it seems unlikely that these 
people will play a major role in the ballot. 
 
¶7. (U) The involvement of women in the 2010 elections is also a 
priority for the international community, although Central 
African women historically have not played a large role in 
public life.  Currently less than 10 percent of the Deputies to 
the National Assembly are female.  In order to encourage the 
participation of women in the political process, the UN and 
other donors are taking the following steps: 
 
-- The UN's Office for Central Africa (BONUCA) financed a 
training session for 35 potential female candidates last month 
-- The UNDP is hiring a Gender Expert to increase participation 
of women in the electoral process and to recruit women into the 
electoral staff. 
--The Association of Women Lawyers (AFJ) plans to conduct 
election monitoring for the 2010 ballot. 
--A local women rights lobbying group, Group of 23, has called 
for a 30 percent quota for seats for female representatives in 
the National Assembly. 
 
While it is unlikely that this target will be met, their 
initiative is an important step.  Women's groups have 
historically played a key role in the Central African elections 
by providing voter education and election monitoring. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Regional and municipal elections, scheduled by law for 
this ballot, increasingly appear to be an afterthought in the 
minds of the IEC.  In the electoral timeline announced by the 
IEC, there is no mention of regional and municipal elections. 
As a result, Post worries that the CARG will continue the 
standard practice of having the President appoint mayors and 
town council members. 
 
¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: Although the Bozize administration and IEC 
have reiterated their commitment to timely, transparent, and 
inclusive elections, the uncertainty surrounding the electoral 
 
BANGUI 00000001  003 OF 003 
 
 
census and participation of refugees and IDPs remains a concern. 
 Post will endeavor over the following months, in conjunction 
with other observers, to discern legitimate excuses over 
resources and logistical challenges from a lack of will on the 
part of the authorities to provide enfranchisement to qualified 
Central Africans. END COMMENT. 
COOK