Cablegate: Drc Elections Sitrep 4: Voting Ends, Counting

VZCZCXRO5086
PP RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #1212 2111914
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301914Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4495
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK PRIORITY

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001212

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPKO CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS SITREP 4: VOTING ENDS, COUNTING
BEGINS

REF: A. KINSHASA 1211
B. KINSHASA 1210
C. KINSHASA 1209

1. According to reports from international elections
observers countrywide, voting officially ended in all
polling stations on time and with few reported problems.
While the voting process itself has benefited from a variety
of "lessons learned" from the constitutional referendum in
December 2005, the next delicate step in the process --
transforming 1,800 tons of paper into a clear declaration of
the will of the electorate -- must now begin.

2. Actual voting this time around was reportedly a
much-improved experience when compared to the referendum.
Fewer numbers of voters at each station meant shorter lines
and faster processing. The election workers were better
prepared and better organized. Voters turned out in high
numbers early in the day, which meant that almost nobody was
still in line at closing time. The Ambassador reported that
the polling station he was observing with A/S Frazer closed
on time and with nobody waiting to vote, an observation
echoed from the DCM, EconCouns, two PolOffs, and various
other Mission observers in Kinshasa. PolCouns in Goma,
PolOff in Bukavu, PolOff in Bunia, and EconOff in Matadi
likewise reported a largely tranquil day of voting, and a
timely -- if laborious -- start to the process of counting.
Nationwide, observers are estimating high levels of voter
turnout.

3. Already, however, random reports of potential problems
are emerging. One Mission observer reported that at his
observation site, the employees of the Independent Electoral
Commission (CEI) have been engaged in a strenuous argument,
refusing to count the votes because they haven't been (and
until they are) paid. In another, one observer reported a
slight printing error on the ballots; a small green dot in
the lower left corner (in the box for candidate Roger
Lumbala) led some CEI officials to claim that the first
ballot noticed had been marked for two candidates. When a
series of these "double-marked" ballots subsequently
appeared, the officials decided to look more closely at the
ballots, although they have not (at this point) awarded the
votes to either Lumbala or the other candidate. And once the
initial numbers are in, the challenges are likely to follow
-- from observers, from CEI officials, and from losing
candidates as well.

4. Nevertheless, reports indicate a successful day of voting
throughout the country, followed by timely commencement of
the painstaking process of tabulating results.
MEECE

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