US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO1514

UNCLAS COLOMBO 001514 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DRL AND SA/INS 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE ALSO PASS USAID - ANE/SA FOR ERIC PICARD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, EAID, PGOV, CE, Elections 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA:  REQUEST FOR ELECTION SUPPORT 
 
REF: A. COLOMBO 1503 
 
     B. COLOMBO 1446 
 
1. This is an action request.  Please see Para 4. 
 
2. SUMMARY: Post requests funding in the amount of USD 
400,000 to support local NGO efforts to monitor and observe 
upcoming presidential and/or general elections.  Because of 
initial uncertainty surrounding the length of incumbent 
President Chandrika Kumaratunga's second term--and thus the 
date for presidential elections--local election monitoring 
organizations may lack sufficient funds to cover these polls, 
which the Supreme Court has just decided must take place by 
November 22 (Ref A).  In addition, the prospect of a snap 
general election (either right before or right after the 
presidential poll) is looming large, and regularly scheduled 
local elections are planned for February 2006.  While recent 
innovations have modestly improved prospects for a free and 
fair election, Sri Lanka's history of election violence, 
voter intimidation and ballot tampering makes monitoring by 
local organizations with a proven track record essential to 
continuing this hopeful trend.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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NO HANGING CHADS, YET 
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3.  The Supreme Court decision on August 26 that presidential 
elections must be held by November 22 (Ref A) ended a year of 
uncertainty about the polling date but left just about 
everyone--from the politicians themselves to the government 
to civil society--scrambling to get organized on short 
notice.  Complicating this scenario is the all-too likely 
possibility that the President may dissolve 
Parliament--either right before or right after the 
elections--thereby necessitating snap general elections as 
well.  Finally, regularly scheduled local elections in 
February 2006 make a grand total of three likely island-wide 
elections within four months.  The 2004 general elections saw 
some decline in polls-related violence, thanks in part, 
according to the Election Commissioner, to such improvements 
as the creation of an independent Police Commission to shield 
police from politically motivated retribution.  Nonetheless, 
conditions surrounding the upcoming election, a fiercely 
contested, high-stakes race that observers already are 
predicting may be too close to call, could foster the 
violence, mayhem, intimidation and vote-tampering all too 
characteristic of past elections. 
 
4. In the past, the Center for Monitoring Election Violence 
(CMEV) and the People's Action for Free and Fair Elections 
(PAFFREL), indigenous election monitoring organizations with 
a reputation for integrity, have proved very useful in 
promoting free and fair elections in Sri Lanka.  The USAID 
Mission in Sri Lanka, which funded both organizations through 
the National Democratic Institute (NDI) during the 2004 
parliamentary elections, has no such funds available this 
year.  Both CMEV and PAFFREL have provided detailed budgets 
for election monitoring, which include plans to train and 
support thousands of domestic monitors, in addition to 
fielding 50 international observers each for the upcoming 
presidential polls.  To date, PAFFREL has raised USD 50,000 
from international donors and is confident it can raise an 
additional USD 100,000 from others.  Because of the short 
lead time before presidential elections, however, both 
organizations may face difficulty in raising sufficient 
funding by November. 
 
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ACTION REQUEST 
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5.  Embassy requests Department fund election monitoring 
efforts to be conducted by CMEV and PAFFREL in the total 
amount of USD 400,000 for the following key components: 
 
--Printed material such as caps, arm bands, identification 
badges, monitoring forms - USD 64,070; 
--Training for poll monitors - USD 104,800; 
--Travel costs and training for 24 international observers - 
USD 46,000; 
--Election day monitoring costs for 200 temporary district 
and divisional offices and operating costs for 250 mobile 
monitoring units - USD 185,130 
ENTWISTLE