US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA1383

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001383 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, KPKO, CG 
SUBJECT: VOTER REGISTRATION IMPROVING, BUT SIGNIFICANT 
CHALLENGES PERSIST 
 
REF: A. KINSHASA 1323 
     B. KINSHASA 1356 
 
Classified By: DCM TDougherty for reasons 1.4 b/d. 
 
1. (C) Summary:  At an August 25 meeting with CIAT, 
Independent Electoral Commission and GDRC officials reported 
improvements in the voter registration process.  More than 6 
million Congolese have now registered, and registration began 
in three additional provinces this week.  Significant 
challenges remain, however.  The registration process is 
behind schedule, police and registration officials have not 
been paid, logistical support is still wanting, and no 
apparent progress has been made in the drafting of an 
election law since the last inter-institutional meeting on 
elections.  CIAT members have strongly reiterated their 
request for regular meetings with the "Espace Presidentiel" 
(the President and four Vice Presidents) to discuss elections 
and other issues critical to the success of the Transition. 
End summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Presidency officials organized a meeting with CIAT 
chiefs of mission on August 25 as a follow-up to the August 
15 inter-institutional meeting hosted by President Kabila 
(reftel A).  Called on short notice, the utility of such a 
meeting was put to question at a preparatory CIAT meeting 
earlier in the day in light of the fact that key GDRC players 
would be absent.  Not in attendance were President Kabila 
(currently in Katanga), Vice President Ruberwa (who is in the 
Kivus), Vice President Yerodia (representing the GDRC at the 
presidential inauguration in Bujumbura), the Minister of 
Interior (in Ituri), and the Minister of Defense (also in the 
East).  The meeting nevertheless went forward in order to 
review progress made in voter registration since the August 
15 meeting.  With  Vice President Zahidi Ngoma presiding, the 
GDRC was also represented by Vice President Bemba, 
Independent Election Commission (CEI) President Malu Malu, 
the National Assembly and Senate presidents, and President 
Kabila,s chief of staff. 
 
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"Clear Improvement" in Voter Registration... 
-------------------------------------------- 
3. (U) CEI President Malu Malu told CIAT members there had 
been a "clear improvement" in voter registration since August 
15.  Thanks to MONUC, the military, NGOs, and the churches, 
voter registration kits were being delivered more smoothly, 
he said, at least to the principal provincial centers from 
which they are distributed locally.  Registration has begun 
in Maniema and North and South Kivu provinces, albeit 
tentatively.  As of August 24, more than 6,283,000 Congolese 
have been registered country-wide. 
 
4. (U) The CEI reported that with 100% of the registration 
centers operational in Bas-Congo and with almost a million 
voters registered, registration will soon end in the province 
and kits will then be sent from there to Equateur or Bandundu 
provinces where registration has not yet begun.  In Orientale 
province, 877 of a projected 1069 centers are now 
operational, and about 825,000 have been registered.   Once 
registration has been completed there, more kits will become 
available for registration in other provinces. 
 
5. (U) The three provinces in the third phase of the 
registration process -- Katanga, Western Kasai, and Eastern 
Kasai -- where registration commenced on August 7, are far 
behind schedule.  In Katanga, only 325 of 1195 centers have 
opened (though Malu Malu said about 200 more would be opening 
imminently), with more than a half million voters registered 
to-date.   Progress is being made in Western Kasai (579,000 
registered), though only about 30% of the centers are 
operational.  The situation in Eastern Kasai was termed the 
&most critical8 by Malu Malu, with only 230 of 826 centers 
open, and with only 378,000 citizens registered. 
 
6. (U) Registration began in the Kivus and in Maniema on 
August 21.  By August 24, however, only 104 of 792 centers 
were open in North Kivu (with only 33,000 voters registered), 
69 of 689 were open in South Kivu (with slightly more than 
20,000 voters registered), and 24 of 450 centers were open in 
Maniema (with fewer than 5,000 voters registered).  Malu Malu 
said that more registration kits had been delivered that day 
to the Kivus. 
 
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...but Significant Problems Remain 
---------------------------------- 
7. (SBU) Malu Malu reported that, despite general improvement 
in the registration process, the CEI is still confronted by 
significant problems.  Among those cited were the 
distribution of registration kits at the local level, 
security concerns in Ituri (reftel B), and the issue of large 
numbers of Congolese refugees pressing to return from 
Tanzania to areas in South Kivu where virtually no 
infrastructure exists.  Moreover, extending registration 
periods first in Kinshasa and then in Bas-Congo and Orientale 
provinces has had a domino effect that will render it 
impossible to complete national registration by September 26 
as originally envisaged. 
 
8. (C) SRSG and CIAT chiefs of mission raised additional 
problems.  Despite assurances by the Minister of Interior 
that police would be paid, payments to police officers at 
registration centers have not been made.   Many registration 
officials have not been paid, many have not been able to work 
at centers where local communities have rejected them as 
&outsiders,8 and some officials are poorly trained.   The 
government has apparently not availed itself of repeated 
offers made by Chamber of Commerce officials to provide 
logistical support.  And although MONUC is providing logistic 
support, the GDRC,s performance is wanting. 
 
9. (C) Vice President Bemba noted that President Kabila, 
through the Minister of Interior, is instructing governors 
and provincial and territorial officials to provide the 
maximum possible logistical support.  He noted, however, 
additional problems that had come to his attention.   They 
included the long distances citizens in rural areas must 
often travel to get to a registration center.  Worse still, 
once citizens make the long trip to centers, they often find 
centers so crowded that they cannot register that day. 
 
10. (C) Of significant concern is the fact that no progress 
has been made in drafting an election law nor in arranging to 
convene an extraordinary session of parliament in September 
for it to be discussed and debated.   Both the presidents of 
the National Assembly and Senate pointed out that many 
members of parliament are currently in their home districts 
where they are involved in the registration process.  Both 
noted, however, that they personally understand the need and 
the urgency to move forward with the election law.  Vice 
President Zahidi suggested that the matter should be raised 
at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers. 
 
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Comment 
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11. (C) While the inter-institutional meeting was useful as a 
progress report on registration efforts, an individual 
briefing with the CEI president would have been just as 
effective.  Unfortunately, the key GDRC players who had 
questions to answer were not in attendance.   The Minister of 
Interior, for example, has to explain why police have still 
not been paid despite repeated assurances from him that they 
would be.    Progress must be made quickly on the election 
law, and that message -- along with one about the necessity 
of the government living up to its commitments to provide 
logistical support throughout the country -- needs to be 
heard clearly by the senior-most leadership.  To that end, 
CIAT members were clear in asking for another follow-up 
inter-institutional meeting and, more importantly, for 
regular meetings with the "Espace Presidentiel" to discuss 
election-related and other issues critical to the success of 
the Transition.  End comment. 
MEECE