AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH ECOWAS ON TOGO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000677

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM NI TO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH ECOWAS ON TOGO

REF: LOME 556

Classified By: Ambassador John Campbell for Reasons 1.4 (B & D).


1. (C) Summary. The Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, Dr.
Mohammed ibn Chambas, briefed Ambassador at length May 4 on
ECOWAS's actions in Togo since the death of President
Eyadema. ECOWAS supported the Togo elections happening
within 60 days because that is what the Constitution provided
for, although the opposition was never happy with holding the
elections without extensive preparation. Chambas said the
opposition (which Obasanjo says no longer trusts ECOWAS --
septel) will now have to find a way to accept their
participation in a government of national unity. Chambas
will travel to Togo on May 4 to deliver this message to both
Faure Gnassingbe and the opposition, and he asked that the
U.S. also press this message with Faure. End Summary.


2. (C) The Ambassador met the Executive Secretary of ECOWAS,
Dr. Mohammed ibn Chambas, on May 4 at the suggestion of
Nigeria's National Security Advisor Aliyu Mohammed. In a
friendly conversation, Chambas discussed the current
situation in Togo and the background to ECOWAS's
participation in the election process. Also present were Dr.
Adrienne Diop, the Director of Communications for ECOWAS, and
an Embassy notetaker.

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The Constitution
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3. (C) Chambas opened by discussing why ECOWAS moved so
firmly to have the election held 60 days after the death of
Eyadema, a question the opposition and many international
observers have put to him. He argued that the Togolese
Constitution called for an election 60 days after a vacancy
in the Presidency, and that ECOWAS was committed to following
the requirements of that Constitution. He placed the
Togolese requirement in a regional context -- the
Constitutions of Benin, Mali, and Niger all require elections
be held in a similar timeframe following the death or
resignation of the President. The French Constitution, the
precedent for the requirements in these francophone nations,
requires elections with 60 days of a vacancy in the
Presidency, and this has occurred twice (the resignation of
De Gaulle and the death of Pompidou). This, in Chambas'
mind, created a legitimate basis for the 60 day requirement
in the Togolese Constitution. The requirement was placed in
the Constitution during the 1992 National Conference, in
which the current opposition played an active role. Under
these circumstances, Chambas saw no reason not to respect it
as the legitimate will of the Togolese people.

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Readiness for an Election
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4. (C) Another factor Chambas considered in ECOWAS's
decision to push for elections in 60 days was how ready the
government was to conduct elections. National legislative
elections had been scheduled for March 2005. Eyadema's death
in February altered that plan, but some groundwork for
national elections had already been completed. Voter
registration lists were already fairly current and, in
response to pressure from ECOWAS, were reopened for
additional registrations just prior to the election. This
readiness, along with the legitimacy of the Constitutional
requirement for elections within 60 days of the death of the
Chief of State, Chambas said, were the basis for the ECOWAS
decision to push for and support the April elections.

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The Opposition
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5. (C) The opposition, Chambas said, was not happy with the
60 day timetable. They initially complained that they could
not participate in elections unless the voter registration
was reopened. ECOWAS ensured that the rolls were reopened.
The opposition then claimed that the registration process was
not conducted fairly. In response, ECOWAS arranged for the
registration period to be extended for two days in areas
where there had been problems with registration. The
opposition said they could not participate in elections if
they were not represented on the electoral bodies. Chambas
claims ECOWAS ensured they were represented. The opposition
was always looking for an exit, for a way to not participate
in the elections or to have them postponed, Chambas said.
ECOWAS resolved all of their complaints, he said, and that
left the opposition with just over a week to campaign after
finally accepting that all of their demands had been met and
that the elections would take place. Chambas pointed to the
Akitani-Bob's harrassment-free campaigning in northern Togo,
a government stronghold, as evidence that ECOWAS had ensured
the security of the candidates and created an environment
conducive to free and fair elections.

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Next Steps
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6. (C) Chambas is traveling to Togo May 4 with Nigeria's
Foreign Minister to emphasize to Faure Gnassingbe that he
must hold to the commitment he made in Abuja to form a
government of national unity and to pursue with the
opposition a program of constitutional and electoral code
reform. Chambas expects Gnassingbe will appoint an
opposition member as his Prime Minister and will include
opposition members in his cabinet. While Chambas
characterized Faure's tenure as transitional, the expectation
of ECOWAS is that the next presidential election will be held
5 years hence. Chambas noted that there is no provision in
the Constitution or by precedent for a shorter term of
office, despite the demand by Gilchrist Olympio that new
elections be held 6-12 months from now. ECOWAS will soon
issue another report detailing the findings of its observers.
Chambas hoped the new ECOWAS document will serve as a basis
for reform of Togo's electoral code. The challenge for
ECOWAS, he thought will be to gain acceptance for this plan
from the opposition.


7. (C) Chambas asked that the U.S. remind Faure he pledged
to Obasanjo to form a government of national unity and that
the U.S. emphasize this should be seen as a new beginning for
Togo. Chambas said Gnassingbe must be made to understand
that the international community expects him to reach out to
the opposition and to pursue constitutional, electoral, and
security sector reform to set Togo on the right path.
Chambas also hoped that the new government will create a
security situation that allows Olympio, and all other
Togolese living outside of their borders, to return to Togo.
CAMPBELL