Cablegate: Drc Elections: Challenge Period Extended Due To

VZCZCXRO9784
PP RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #1345 2361303
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241303Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4664
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001345

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPKO CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: DRC ELECTIONS: CHALLENGE PERIOD EXTENDED DUE TO
RECENT VIOLENCE

REF: KINSHASA 1342 AND PREVIOUS

1. (U) The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) has
extended the period for bringing challenges to the
provisional presidential election results announced August
20. CEI spokesman Dieudonne Mirimo said political parties and
independent candidates -- the two groups authorized to raise
challenges -- will be allowed to bring their cases before the
Supreme Court until August 26. Before the recent violence
which shut down much of downtown Kinshasa for three days
(reftels), the deadline for raising electoral challenges was
August 23 (three days after the announcement of provisional
results), as stipulated in the DRC's electoral law.

2. (SBU) Mirimo said the CEI will begin delivering election
material -- primarily tally sheets and other documents -- to
the Supreme Court August 24. The CEI had been storing this
material at its headquarters in downtown Kinshasa because the
Court initially lacked sufficient storage space for the
documents from the country's nearly 50,000 polling sites. The
delivery of this material was delayed because of the fighting
in Kinshasa August 21-23.

3. (SBU) According to Mirimo, the extension of the challenge
period will likely delay the official announcement of final
first round presidential results until the beginning of
September. (Note: Provisional results were announced August
20. End note.) The DRC's electoral law provides the Supreme
Court seven days to consider and rule upon all legal
challenges brought forward. This extension, however, will not
affect the scheduled date for the second-round presidential
election on October 29, as the CEI had planned on having
second-round presidential ballots ready for delivery in the
DRC by mid-September. (Note: Second-round presidential
balloting will be held the same day as provincial assembly
elections. The CEI will need until the end of October to
print and deliver the ballots for provincial elections, which
include some 11,400 candidates. End note.)
MEECE

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