US embassy cable - 03SANTODOMINGO6579

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SANTO DOMINGO 006579 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/PPC-NOYES, DRL/PHD-DAVIS, WHA/CAR-MCISAAC, 
WHA/USOAS-IRVING; STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/RSD-HENDRIX; NSC 
FOR CRUZ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: DR, EAID, PGOV 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ELECTION LOGISTICS ON TRACK FOR 
MAY 2004 VOTE 
 
 
1. Summary:  Elections Director Gilberto Cruz Herasme, a top 
technical supervisor of the GODR's Central Election Board 
(JCE), has told us the JCE is "90 percent" on track with its 
published timetable of preparations for the May 16 
presidential election.  He flagged two problems: lack of 
agreement between the JCE and the political parties on the 
composition of 45 municipal election boards (out of 134), and 
recent opposition demands that the JCE's technical 
directors.resign.  On the latter issue, the JCE has received 
formal opinions from the two main oppposition parties, but is 
awaiting a reply from the government party before deciding 
whether to retain the directors.  Cruz Herasme emphasized 
that technical arrangements for the election would be "better 
than ever," particularly the JCE's efforts to recruit 
qualified poll workers, train as many of them as possible, 
and tighten security.  These arrangements will also extend to 
poll sites overseas, including the United States, enabling 
expatriate Dominicans to vote for the first time.  End 
summary. 
 
Arrangements "on track" 
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2. Director of Elections Gilberto Cruz Herasme, a top 
technical supervisor at the GODR's Central Elections Board 
(JCE) who is responsible for logistics and security of the 
May 16 presidential election, discussed the status of 
preparations with poloff and USAID expert October 28.  Cruz 
Erasme, who had worked at JCE during the 1996 and 2000 
presidential elections and two legislative/municipal 
elections, assured us the board was "90 percent" on track 
with a previously published timetable. 
 
Political parties' consent 
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3. Cruz Herasme voiced concern that appointees to 45 of the 
134 municipal election boards (juntas municipales 
electorales) had not yet gained approval by political party 
reps, a formal requirement.  The problems affected boards in 
the biggest cities, Santo Domingo and Santiago.  The JCE 
would need the political parties' consent "at every step" of 
the process, he explained.  However, the process was as far 
along as it had been in 1995 for the 1996 election, which 
international observers had judged to be free and fair.  The 
chairman of the JCE's administrative chamber, Judge Nelson 
Arias, subsequently told the press that the current problems 
would be resolved by mid-November.  (Comment: This deadline 
may be unrealistic for some of the juntas.) 
 
Opposition demands 
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3. The election director's other current concern related to 
repeated demands by the main opposition parties (PRSC and 
PLD) that he and three other JCE technical directors resign 
because of perceived irregularities in the 2002 legislative 
and municipal elections.  He said it was increasingly 
difficult for him to work with the political party delegates 
to the election process as long as this issue remained 
unresolved, even though only one of the parties -- the PLD -- 
had included him in the list of officials to be removed.  The 
JCE had received written opinions on the matter from the two 
parties, but was waiting for the ruling PRD to deliver its 
views before making a decision whether to retain the 
directors.  (Note: Action by the JCE's nine judges was 
subsequently postponed until November 17.) 
 
Budget uncertainty 
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4. Asked whether the JCE would have an adequate budget for 
the election, given the GODR's severe economic problems, Cruz 
Herasme said that the GODR's budget request of RD $1.882 
billion (US $51 million) would suffice, but that its 
legislative approval was uncertain.  He cited press reports 
of a possible cut to RD $1.481 billion (US $40 million) and 
said JCE magistrates would lobby with lawmakers to win 
support for the original request.  (He noted that in similar 
fashion Congress had cut the budget for the 2000 election on 
orders from the late political strongman and former president 
Joaquin Balaguer.)  However, he said, the NGO "Coalition for 
Transparency" has offered training assistance to the JCE to 
supplement its official resources and that the offer would be 
included in the JCE's plans.   (Note: This NGO coalition 
includes the prominent USAID-funded NGO "Participacion 
Ciudadana" -- Citizen Participation.) 
 
Recruitment and training of workers 
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5. Cruz Herasme emphasized the JCE's efforts to recruit 
better qualified personnel as poll workers, political party 
delegates to the polls, and municipal board members.  The JCE 
expects to provide training through local universities for as 
many of the 62,500 polling site personnel as possible, and 
also to offer training to thousands of political party 
delegates. This had been a weak point in previous elections. 
He said starting in January the JCE would hold workshops for 
poll workers and political delegates, including a module on 
how to observe and detect electoral fraud.  For the first 
time, the JCE would evaluate poll workers' performance and 
award prizes or extra compensation if merited. 
 
Security of polls 
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6. Security personnel to protect polling sites and election 
officials, drawn as usual from the National Police and armed 
forces, would also receive university-organized training, 
according to Cruz Herasme.  He said the JCE was adopting a 
new anti-fraud measure, which other countries had used 
successfully: sealing in transparent plastic the hand-written 
vote tally sheets (actas) from each polling table (colegio) 
to prevent their being altered en route to the municipal 
electoral board to be entered into the JCE computer system. 
 
Registration problems 
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7. Cruz Herasme referred to longstanding problems with 
voters' identification cards and the fact that as many as 
half of the 3.2 million registered voters did not appear on 
the electoral roll at their assigned voting tables.  He said 
the registration deadline had been extended to January 16 and 
additional centers for identification card issuance would 
open in November, instead of early May as in previous 
elections..  In addition, the newly adopted system of "open" 
polling tables -- in which voters could come and go 
throughout election day -- would allow time for individual 
voters to resolve deficiencies of the electoral roll and i.d. 
cards. 
 
Absentee voting 
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8. The logistical and security arrangements would also be 
extended for the first time to polling sites overseas, 
enabling expatriate Dominican citizens to participate. Cruz 
Herasme said the JCE would establish polling tables and local 
electoral boards in several cities in the U.S. (New York and 
Miami, in coordination with local authorities) and other 
countries with significant Dominican populations.  The would 
use trained personnel and security measures on a par with 
those at home.  He said the election officials would work at 
politically neutral sites such as hotels or clubs, rather 
than Dominican consulates. 
 
Comment 
- - - - 
 
9. Cruz Herasme, one of the JCE's top technical supervisors, 
impressed us with his professionalism, knowledge, and ongoing 
implementation of detailed plans to improve the logistics and 
security of the election process for 2004.  The technical 
aspects  of the election appear to be well in hand, provided 
the JCE takes the announced measures to facilitate 
registration and issuance of i.d. cards.  The continuing 
public skepticism of the JCE and its intentions is a legacy 
of the way in which the GODR pushed the current judges' 
appointments through the PRD-dominated Congress last year. 
The transparency shown so far by the by the judges in the 
JCE's recently reorganized administrative chamber and a 
continued strong technical performance by Cruz Herasme and 
his colleagues should help build public confidence.  The 
JCE's main challenge will be political, not technical -- 
convincing the public that it will administer the election 
evenhandedly. 
 
10. We think it unlikely the JCE will yield to the opposition 
complaints and fire Cruz Herasme, who is generally well 
regarded for his work in past elections.  The JCE believes 
changing key personnel so close to the election would disrupt 
preparations.  However, we cannot rule out a decision to 
placate the critics by tossing out one of the JCE officials, 
perhaps the supervisor of the computing section, whom some 
have accused of irregularities in the 2002 election. 
Whether he stays or goes, the JCE has already approached the 
business community to assign some of its computer experts to 
help prepare for election day. 
HERTELL