US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA205

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000205 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINS, KDEM, EFIN, ECON, CG 
SUBJECT: INTER-INSTITUTIONAL SEMINAR UNREALISTIC ON 
ELECTIONS FINANCE 
 
REF: KINSHASA 183 
 
1. (U) Summary: The Elections Finance Committee of the Feb 
2-4 Inter-Institutional Seminar highlighted the $100 million 
gap in funding for elections in the DRC. While committee 
discussion tended to focus on increased funding from the 
international community, plenary debate concentrated on 
general criticism of the government for thus far coming up 
with a paltry $2.1 million contribution to a process 
estimated to cost $285 million. Final recommendations urge 
the GDRC to up its contributions to about $28 million, or 10 
percent of the total. At the end of the seminar, Electoral 
Commission President Malu Malu told the Ambassador that he 
understands the government has already upped its planned 
contribution to $15 million in response to the criticism, and 
pressure will be maintained to do more. End summary. 
 
Looking for Funding Everywhere 
------------------------------ 
 
2. (U) The Elections Finance Committee of the Feb 2-4 
Inter-Institutional Seminar highlighted the $100 million gap 
in funding for elections in the DRC. Not one minister was 
present at the Feb 3 meeting, though, the Minister of Budget 
did address the opening plenary on Feb 2. Little to no 
emphasis was placed on utilization of funds already released 
by donors. Focus was squarely placed on increasing funding 
from the international community to fill the financing gap, 
despite general acrimony over the GDRC's embarrassing $2.1 
million contribution to an elections process estimated to 
cost $285 million. 
 
3. (SBU) EU Ambassador Carlo di Filippi forcefully rejected 
the delegates' attempts to blame donors for not providing 
more funds. He cited the 40 million euros the EU has already 
released and also told the delegates that actions should be 
taken with the money already available instead of waiting for 
additional funding to begin programs. 
 
Recommendations 
--------------- 
 
4. (U) The Committee initially developed several 
recommendations, none of which dealt with elections planning 
or utilization of money already disbursed. They included 
looking for new sources of finance (i.e. from the 
international community), cutting spending in the GDRC (e.g. 
for official missions abroad), accelerating the delivery of 
funds promised by donors, and accelerating the disbursement 
of funds from the GDRC budget to the Independent Electoral 
Commission (CEI). A recommendation was also made during the 
course of the day that top officials in the GDRC donate 10 
percent of their salaries to election financing. 
 
5. (U) The recommendations as presented to the plenary 
session on Feb 4 included the following: 
 
--The GDRC and the Parliament should make elections a budget 
priority for 2005 and should increase its contributions to 10 
percent (or $28 million) of the total elections cost. 
 
--The GDRC needs to decrease government expenses in order to 
increase its contribution to elections. Savings of 
approximately $9 million and $5.5 million can be made on 
foreign missions and institutional spending, including the 
Presidency's budget, respectively. 
 
--The Ministries of Finance, Budget and Public Works should 
make available and/or rehabilitate buildings throughout the 
country country for use by the Independent Electoral 
Commission (CEI). 
 
--The GDRC should seek new sources of income, such as taxes 
on non-essential products like beer and cigarettes, as well 
as requesting voluntary contributions by the population. 
 
--The GDRC needs to accelerate budget mechanisms to give CEI 
access to "sovereign" (national) fund. 
 
--The CEI should try to revaluate and rationalize expected 
electoral expenditures to reduce expenditures. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
6. (SBU) While the Committee's discussion seemed to 
disproportionately focus on the international community 
funding, plenary discussion in the opening and final phases 
of the Seminar featured heavy criticism of the GDRC's 
inadequate funding support to-date. Indeed, the Committee 
recommendation to target a roughly $28 million contribution 
made it onto the final Seminar proposals, along with various 
other suggestions for funding schemes through assessments on 
senior officials, cutbacks in other parts of the GDRC budget, 
and a system to handle voluntary contributions. Malu Malu's 
report that the government is already working to increase its 
funding reflects a beneficial effect already of this 
pressure. The real import of the Committee's discussion and 
the Seminar generally, was to begin to involve 
parliamentarians, and by extension the press and public, into 
work addressing specific questions regarding the nuts and 
bolts of election preparations. Public dialogue regarding 
elections from the time of the Sun City accord until now has 
progressed little beyond platitudes, and the Seminar marks a 
conscious effort of parliamentary leaders and the Electoral 
Commission to draw in political leaders to look at the 
specifics of what already has been done, and of more 
importance the substantial work that still remains, and the 
financial costs associatied with it. End comment. 
 
7. (U) Bujumbura minimize considered. 
MEECE