Cablegate: 15 Million Voters Registered

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001665

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPKO PREL CG
SUBJECT: 15 MILLION VOTERS REGISTERED

REF: KINSHASA 1621

1. (SBU) Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) officials
said they had registered 15 million voters as of October 4.
This represents over fifty percent of the initial estimate of
28 million potential voters nationwide. They noted the vast
majority of voter registration centers have opened in all but
the last two provinces to begin the registration process,
Bandundu and Equateur (both of which began on September 25).
In Orientale province 1041 out of 1069 planned centers opened
for operations; in Katanga the figure is 1144 out of 1191; in
Western Kasai 614 out of 636; in Eastern Kasai, 738 out of
826; in North Kivu, 722 out of 792; in South Kivu, 511, out
of 669; and in Maniema, 351 out of 450. In Bandundu the CEI
has opened 121 out of 979 centers and in Equateur 125 out of
965. CEI officials said they expect the voter registration
process to end by mid-November and feel it is possible to
register a significant majority of Congolese voters by that
time.

Good News Tempered by Tragedy
-----------------------------

2. (SBU) Progress in the voter registration process has been
tempered by a CEI press statement announcing the capsizing of
a boat October 1st in the Tshuapa River in Equateur province,
carrying 100 passengers (94 policemen traveling to guard
registration centers in Boende and 6 electoral staff).
According to the statement, there are preliminary reports of
10 dead and 9 missing, including 17 policemen and 2 electoral
staff. The CEI believes the capsizing was the result of a
fire on board; at this point, however, it is unclear what
caused the fire.
MEECE

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