Cablegate: Niger: Municipal Elections Pass Quietly; Ruling Party

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RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHNM #1017 3631702
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291702Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5544
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1716

UNCLAS NIAMEY 001017

DEPT FOR AF/W AND AF/RSA; PLS PASS TO USAID FOR AFR/W
ACCRA ALSO FOR USAID/WA
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM SOCI PHUM NG
SUBJECT: Niger: Municipal Elections Pass Quietly; Ruling Party
Polls Strongly while Opposition Boycotts

Ref: a) Niamey 1013 b) Niamey 1011 c) Niamey 1009

1. Summary: Municipal elections of December 27 occurred without
violence; preliminary Government of Niger (GON) tallies indicate a
strong showing by ruling party-affiliated candidates and a
GON-alleged overall voter turnout of 56 percent. Although that
figure appears high based on mission personnel observations in
Niamey, the Opposition's appeal for a boycott of balloting may have
been partially successful. One media report indicated that
participation may have been as low as 5 percent. The poll took
place despite ongoing negotiations between the GON and the political
Opposition in Niamey. End summary.

Elections Pass Quietly; GON, Opposition Make Appeals
--------------------------------------------- -------
2. On December 27, municipal elections took place in Niger
peacefully and with apparent low turnout, without any reported
incidents of violence. Defense and security forces, as has been
practice, cast ballots the day before, and the GON closed land
borders for the day. The event brings to a close Niger's 2009
elections cycle.

3. Although the campaign period closed on December 24, the
Opposition Coordination of Forces for Democracy and the Republic
(CFDR) issued a December 26 declaration appealing to members to
boycott the election, stating that, "These elections are the latest
step undertaken by the illegal and illegitimate rule of Tandja."
Minister of Communication and Government Spokesman Kassoum Maman
Moctar responded on December 27 to call the appeal "ridiculous" and
urge citizens to vote in a spirit of "independence and liberty." As
President Tandja voted, he noted that the elections advanced Niger
on the "path of democracy and development." The elections, he
noted, marked a milestone in the "achievement of the democratic
process."

Provisional Results - 56 Percent Rate of Participation
--------------------------------------------- ---------
4. More than 49,000 candidates ran for 3,759 seats as advisors in
the 266 communes of Niger. While definitive results are yet to be
determined, preliminary indications from GON-run daily newspaper "Le
Sahel" note a strong showing by ruling party MNSD (Movement for a
Developing Society)-affiliated candidates and a provisional turnout
of roughly 56 percent, although balloting summaries provided for
various communes so far indicate a range of participation from 25 to
101 percent. One independent newspaper, "Le Democrate," labeled the
local elections a fiasco and suggested that the rate of
participation was lower than 5 percent. The Opposition has not
commented on the turnout, which gave appearances to mission
personnel in Niamey as having been low. According to GON-run
television "Tele Sahel," there were some municipalities where polls
could not be held because the "procedure for the submission of
candidacies was not respected" and where balloting materials were
late in arriving.

Various Regional, Domestic Groups Observe Elections
--------------------------------------------- ------
5. According to "Le Sahel," several groups including the
International Network of Electoral Observers (Le Reseau
International des Observateurs Electoraux - RIOE), African Diaspora,
Fraternal Union of West African Peoples (L'Union Fraternelle des
Populations de L'Afrique de l'Ouest - UFRAPAO), and two national
NGOs observed the elections and declared that they appeared to be
well administered, credible, and non-violent. (Note: None of these
groups is known to mission personnel, and post regards them to be of
untested competence and uncertain neutrality. End note.)

Comment
-------
6. The elections took place despite the ongoing inclusive dialogue
between the GON and the political Opposition mediated by retired
Nigerian head of state and General Abdusalami Abubakar (reftels),
slated to re-start on December 29, a date that also marks the return
to session of the National Assembly. The provisional results may
indicate a partial success for the political Opposition, as a 56
percent turnout rate (if believable) does not reflect a strong
mandate, even if Sunday is market day in many localities. End
comment.

ALLEN

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