US embassy cable - 05PORTAUPRINCE2652

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 002652 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
DRL 
S/CRS 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR 
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, HA, Elections 
SUBJECT: HAITI: 3.32 MILLION REGISTERED VOTERS: ID 
DISTRIBUTION ON HOLD 
 
 
1. According to OAS elections officials, as of October 24 the 
OAS had processed 3.32 million voter records.  While 
registration closed throughout Haiti October 22, the number 
of registered voters will continue to rise through the end of 
October as the OAS receives records from outlying rural 
areas.  When registration officially closed, the OAS had 
registered what they deemed acceptable percentages of voters 
in all but 15 rural communal sections.  Of those, the OAS 
opened registration in five but did not register as many 
voters as they would have liked.  They were unable to open 
registration in the other ten communal sections because of 
impassable rivers.  On October 27, the OAS and the CEP member 
charged with registration, Pierre Richard Duchemin, plan to 
meet with MINUSTAH to discuss reopening registration in those 
15 communal sections, which for expediency they would have to 
reach by helicopter. 
 
2. To date, 600,000 identification cards have arrived in 
Haiti, but the OAS still has not started distributing them in 
large numbers because of a CEP request to stop distribution 
until voting centers are identified.  MINUSTAH has started to 
choose the 800 voting centers from a list of roughly 1786 
possible sites furnished by the CEP.  It will present the 
list to the CEP by October 30 (septel). 
 
3. Comment: Though the decision to hold cards until voting 
centers has delayed card distribution, waiting will ensure 
that voters know their voting centers before election day and 
should increase the likelihood that registered voters will 
turnout on Election Day. 
GRIFFITHS