US embassy cable - 04ACCRA2239

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ACCRA 002239 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID (PRIORITY) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, GH 
SUBJECT: USG SUPPORT FOR GHANA'S DECEMBER 7 ELECTION 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (U) USG support for the upcoming Ghanaian presidential and 
parliamentary elections includes $1,164,000 in USAID and 
STATE funding for election-related programs. PAS has provided 
$35,000 to support election programs related to the media. 
The final transfer of funds was presented on November 10 with 
Ambassadorial participation in the Electoral Commission's 
polling agent training. In conjunction with the broader 
diplomatic community, the Mission plans to send 50 volunteer 
observers into the field on election day. The Mission remains 
actively engaged with representatives from all political 
parties, civil society, and the GoG to encourage peaceful, 
free, and fair elections in 2004. End summary. 
 
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FINANCIAL AND PROGRAM ASSISTANCE UPDATE: USAID 
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2. (U) USAID-Ghana manages $1,164,000 in Economic Support 
Funds (ESF) to support Ghana's presidential and parliamentary 
elections this year. The breakdown of this total is as 
follows: 
 
$34,000   Ghana Association of the Blind (for tactile ballot 
use training) 
 
$50,000   Ibis/Ghana (women's participation) 
 
$450,000  Election Commission (voter registration support) 
 
$450,000  Center for Democratic Development (domestic 
observation and 25 parliamentary candidate forums) 
 
$180,000  Electoral Commission 
* In conjunction with the Royal Netherlands Embassy, this 
program - launched on November 10 - will train polling agents 
to ensure that agents of political parties, candidates, and 
EC staff receive the same information, understand each 
others' roles, and avoid conflict and confusion on election 
day. As Ambassador Yates noted in a speech to formally donate 
these funds, "An effective performance by each agent at the 
polling centers will contribute immensely to enhancing 
transparency of the elections and will increase public 
confidence in the outcomes." 
 
3. (U) USAID-Ghana's local government/civil society program, 
Government Accountability Improves Trust II (GAIT II), will 
support MP candidate debates in 29 constituencies as part of 
their effort to increase local level civil society engagement 
with the GoG. 
 
4. (U) USAID-Washington is working in conjunction with IFES 
on an Electoral Violence Education and Resolution (EVER) 
project. This is a pilot project that will be run in Ghana 
that examines a number of potentially conflict-prone areas. 
IFES will partner with CDD-Ghana and the Institute for Policy 
Analysis in Tamale to send field monitors to conflict-prone 
areas. The EVER project will identify conditions, causes, 
practices, or failures provoking electoral violence in order 
to prevent, manage, or reduce opportunities for friction in 
elections and campaigns. The project will examine electoral 
conflict as a discrete form of conflict with unique causes 
and solutions, while recognizing that it is linked to broader 
social, economic, or criminal motives. In addition, it will 
diagnose how election observation can be a more effective 
tool in election conflict prevention. 
 
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FINANCIAL AND PROGRAM ASSISTANCE UPDATE: PUBLIC AFFAIRS 
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5. (U) The Embassy's Public Affairs Section has provided 
$35,000 in election-related support, aimed primarily at media 
programs. The breakdown of this total is as follows: 
 
$10,000   Center for Democratic Development (originally 
slated for presidential debates, this money will be 
reprogrammed for other election-related support if a debate 
does not take place this month) 
 
$10,000   Ghana Journalist's Association (issue-specific 
media interactions with political party leaders, focusing on 
issues such as the education, economy, and health) 
 
$15,000   Three media training workshops (held in Accra, 
Takoradi, and Kumasi) to work with journalists on reporting 
in an election year. The focus of these workshops was on 
broadcast journalism and touched on subjects such as polling, 
reporting election results, and covering political rallies. 
 
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FINANCIAL AND PROGRAM ASSISTANCE UPDATE: DHRF 
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6. (U) Two grants awarded from the FY04 Democracy and Human 
Rights Fund also supported projects cultivating a peaceful 
election season and greater awareness of the democratic 
process. These projects and allocations are as follows: 
 
$6,110   Women in Broadcasting (supporting programs to 
highlight female parliamentary candidates) 
 
$5,000   Berekum Civic Union (community-wide program to 
promote political tolerance during elections. Note: The 
Berekum CU is also a beneficiary of USAID-Ghana's GAIT II 
program ((see para 2 above)), and will be organizing MP 
debates under this program). 
 
7. (SBU) The Mission's support for Ghana's elections has been 
widely covered in local press and well-received by most. Some 
representatives from civil society, as well as members of the 
major opposition party, the National Democratic Congress, 
have made comments to PolOffs about the substantial support 
provided to the Center for Democratic Development (CDD). Some 
argue that the CDD leans toward supporting the ruling 
National Patriotic Party (NPP). The Associate Executive 
Director of CDD, Mr. Baffour Agyeman-Duah, told PolOff on 
September 30 said that this allegation has no basis in fact. 
(Note: The criticism of CDD from the major opposition party 
reveals an aspect of Ghana's developing democracy - that 
there can be limited tolerance for divergent views at times. 
The Mission believes that CDD-Ghana is struggling to take a 
neutral position, and has tried to address the polarized 
nature of the campaign by trying to persuade all parties to 
focus on the issues at stake and how they will address them.) 
 
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PRE-ELECTION AND ELECTION DAY OBSERVATION 
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8. (SBU) Embassy officers have met with representatives of 
all the political parties, civil society, the Electoral 
Commission, and fellow members of the diplomatic corps to 
discuss the December 7 election and assess what useful role 
the USG might play. On this issue, the sentiment has been 
nearly unanimous: while international observers are welcome, 
the need for them is seen as far less pressing than it was in 
the 2000 elections. As one EC contact put it to PolChief 
"Ghana is coming of age electorally". 
 
9. (U) Furthermore, political contacts seem more concerned 
about gaps in monitoring the pre-election process (e.g., the 
voter registration process and the EC's response to 
challenges) than monitoring the actual election.  They do not 
see a significant possibility of rigging on polling day. The 
EC and others point to the fact that the CDD, the Catholic 
Church and others are fielding over 8,000 domestic observers 
in this election (compared to 5,000 in the 2000 election). 
CDD, with support from USAID, has been fielding 50 monitors 
to track pre-election political activities. At the same time 
that domestic observer numbers are rising, international 
observers are decreasing. While foreign missions fielded 
approximately 200 election observers in 2000, the UNDP told 
PolOff on November 5 there will be approximately 175 
international observers for this year's election. 
 
10. (U) Almost all of the Embassy's political contacts have 
said foreign observers can play a useful role in helping to 
legitimize the election result and lend support to the 
democratic process in Ghana. In addition to extensive 
pre-election regional travel and observation, the Mission 
will send approximately 50 American direct-hire, spouses, and 
FSN observers into the field, in conjunction with the wider 
diplomatic community. Foreign observers have been promised by 
other Missions in Ghana, including the British (40 observers) 
and the Australians/Canadians (20-30), under the coordination 
of the UNDP. 
 
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COMMENT 
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11. (U) The increasing emphasis on domestic observers (as 
opposed to international observers) can be taken as a sign of 
increased confidence in the democratic process here. Domestic 
observers present distinct advantages over international 
observers - they often understand the country and its 
politics better; they have local knowledge; and they can 
speak local languages. The upswing in domestic observers is a 
strong sign of capacity development of the civil society and 
suggests increasing local ownership and engagement in the 
process. International observers remain important in places 
where there are limited or no domestic observers and/or where 
local tensions undermine the country's confidence in domestic 
observers. 
 
12. (U) The Mission has played an active role in supporting 
free, fair, and peaceful elections in Ghana this year. USG 
assistance for Ghana's elections has been well-received and 
well-publicized. Within the Mission, over 100 personnel have 
expressed great interest in serving as election observers on 
December 7. The Mission believes their involvement builds 
both our public image in Ghana and morale within the Mission 
itself. End comment. 
YATES