VZCZCXRO9720
PP RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #0013/01 0030810
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 030810Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4435
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000013 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/02/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM AF
SUBJECT: 2010 ELECTIONS: IEC ANNOUNCEMENT, INTERNATIONAL 
VIEWS 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Annie Pforzheimer, Reason 1.4 (b) an 
d (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Details about the 2010 elections came 
slightly more into focus on January 2 as the Independent 
Election Committee (IEC) announced the date and UNAMA 
convened international stakeholders.  The IEC announced at a 
press conference the May 22 date for the Parliamentary 
elections and explicitly stated that District Council 
elections would not be possible.  UNAMA SRSG Eide and 
international representatives discussed whether or not to try 
and move the election date and whether or not to support the 
election.  No country has an official position yet.  The 
President and IEC, along with legal experts, may meet January 
3 to discuss reforms.  End summary. 
 
IEC Announces Election Date 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) In a January 2 press conference at its headquarters, 
the IEC declared that the Parliamentary elections will be 
held on May 22.  Afghan media had reported on January 1 the 
public statements of Zekria Barakzai, Deputy Chief Electoral 
Officer of the IEC, regarding the need for Parliament to 
approve the IEC's budget.  Barakzai said that if the Lower 
House of Parliament does not approve the budget, the 
elections will be delayed anyway as the international 
community may not provide any assistance.  Parliament members 
have been publicly questioning IEC funding on the basis of 
its 2009 performance. 
 
¶3. (U) Daoud Najafi, Chief Electoral Officer explicitly 
stated that there are no plans to hold the District Council 
elections, previously scheduled to be held with the 
Parliamentary elections.  No mention was made of the Mayoral 
elections, also technically scheduled for 2010.  With no 
voter registration cards listing the holder's district, 
village, or city of residence, the primary obstacle to these 
sub-national elections would be the inability to determine 
where voters should be casting their ballots.  At a 
working-level workshop for donors on November 16, The IEC had 
gone into great detail on all the reasons why District 
Council elections would be impossible in the 2010 electoral 
cycle leading the donor community to conclude a while ago 
that there was no prospect for District Council or Mayoral 
elections in 2010. 
 
UNAMA and Donors Discuss 2010 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) At a January 2 meeting with key international 
stakeholders, UNAMA SRSG Kai Eide described his meeting the 
day before with Karzai in which Karzai insisted on 
"Afghanization" of the elections, including a plan to replace 
all foreign Commissioners on the Electoral Complaints 
Commission (ECC) with Afghans.  Eide said that he told Karzai 
that any change to the ECC needs to include added 
independence in its mandate.  Eide speculated that because 
Karzai seemed flexible on the ultimate date of the elections, 
despite the IEC's announcement, the election date will 
eventually be moved back several months by the GIRoA, for 
"security reasons".  Russia noted that they had heard of a 
possible September date.  Canada noted that it fundamentally 
disagreed with the idea of Afghanization as leading to a more 
legitimate process on the grounds that the international 
make-up of the ECC in the previous election was the only 
element conferring any legitimacy on the proceedings. 
 
¶5. (C) Eide reminded the group that UNAMA has no current 
mandate to support elections and said that UNAMA will not be 
out in front on pushing the GIRoA regarding changing the 
election date or any changes to the Constitution.  Eide was 
adamant that the international community in general should 
remain on the sidelines regarding the requirements of the 
Afghan Constitution.  Eide felt country and organization 
should reinforce its message separately to Karzai.  When 
Norway asked how UNAMA would be engaging with Karzai on 
needed electoral reforms, Eide replied that the UN had no 
intention of opposing Afghanization as a principle but that 
technial reforms would have to take place if Afghans were 
going to be able to lead their own elections.  Eide wants to 
press Karzai for a few months of delay based on the Electoral 
Law article that allows the IEC to postpone elections on an 
as-needed basis.  Still, Eide reiterated that the political 
decision should be left to the GIRoA and the international 
community should concern itself only with the practical 
challenges presented.  Germany expressed its support for this 
UNAMA stance as a way to prevent Karzai from blaming the 
international community for any delay. 
 
¶6. (C) Karzai's Chief of Staff Daudzai reportedly had told 
UNAMA that while the international community's role in the 
 
KABUL 00000013  002 OF 002 
 
 
Afghan elections was unclear, it was likely to become one of 
security and financial contributions.  ISAF's representative 
noted that security should not be used as the sole reason for 
election delay but that the international community must 
recognize that if security forces are diverted to the 
elections, plans to combat the insurgency would be negatively 
affected. 
 
¶7. (C) The UK representative noted repeatedly that he had 
heard of money being available in the UN's Elections Trust 
Fund and asked Eide if this was true.  Eide was unaware of 
any financial analysis of remaining UN funds done to date. 
(Note: The donor community, despite repeated requests over 
the past year, has been unable to obtain any comprehensive 
UNDP report on funds it expended in the 2009 election.  End 
Note.) 
 
¶8. (C) CDA Ricciardone clarified that the media had given the 
wrong impression on the discussions with President Karzai 
held by CODEL Israel on December 29.  Ricciardone said that 
while the U.S. has not yet taken a position, we do not want a 
repeat of 2009, nor do we want to use resources in support of 
an unreformed process.  He added that reforms, not delay, 
were the primary U.S. concern.  Ricciardone then asked the 
delegations if they had received instructions from their 
capitals on providing security or financial support.  None of 
the donors had yet received any firm guidance. 
 
¶9. (C) Meanwhile, Director of the Office of Administrative 
Affairs (which coordinates ministerial cooperation and 
presidential decrees) Mudabber told us January 2 that the 
President, the IEC, and 'legal experts' planned to meet 
January 3 to discuss legal reforms, presumably those which 
may be included in a presidential decree amending the 
Electoral Law during the upcoming Parliamentary recess. 
Mudabber asked about the reforms the U.S. saw as necessary; 
we noted the need for full independence of the IEC, 
clarification of its powers and those of the ECC, reforms to 
the civil registry and improved candidate vetting as some of 
the improvements most observers had called for. 
RICCIARDONE