AMBASSADOR MEETS LEADER OF GHANA'S PEOPLE'S

UNCLAS ACCRA 000681 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: GH PGOV PREL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS LEADER OF GHANA'S PEOPLE'S NATIONAL CONVENTION PARTY ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On March 13, Ambassador paid a courtesy call on Dr. Edward Mahama, leader of the People's National Congress (PNC) party, Ghana's third largest party. Mahama was concerned about increasing confrontation in Ghanaian politics aggravated by passage of the Representation of the People (Amendment) law and likely future friction over succession within the ruling NPP party. He said Tamale, in the Northern Region, will be tense in April, with a by-election and the possible burial of the Ya-Na chief. Ambassador urged inter-party dialogue. End summary. Background -------------- ¶2. (U) The PNC is an Nkrumaist party founded in 1992 by Dr. Hilla Limann, Ghana's third republican president. Dr. Edward Mahama, a U.S.-trained gynecologist, was the PNC's presidential candidate in 1996 (when he won 3% of the national presidential vote),2000 (when he won 2.9%) and 2004 (1.9%). The PNC has four Members of Parliament. It lacks national reach but remains popular in parts of Ghana's northern regions. Mahama supports state-led economic policy, with particular attention to resource management and anti-corruption legislation. Mahama's Issues -------------- ¶3. (SBU) ROPAL: Mahama told Ambassador that passage of the Representation of the People (Amendment) law (ROPAL) is "very dangerous", setting up Ghanaian politics for potential confrontation over a disputed election in 2008. The Electoral Commission (EC) has capacity problems in administering domestic elections and has become politicized. The Inter-Party Advisory Committee, which in the past has helped promote inter-party dialogue, is now nonfunctional, according to Mahama. ¶4. (SBU) Tamale By-Election: the PNC and the Nkrumist Convention People's Party (CPP) are discussing a possible merger, but this will not happen before an April 4 by-election in Tamale, Northern Region. Mahama added that the security situation is precarious in Tamale, with a by-election and the possible burial in April of the Ya-Na, paramount chief of the Dagombas who was murdered in 2002. These two events in Northern Region are key to how domestic politics will play out in the next two years, Mahama said. ¶5. (SBU) 2008 Election: Mahama believes the NPP will choose Vice President Aliu as its candidate for the 2008 presidential election. This will cause splits within the NPP which, combined with the controversy over ROPAL, could result in disputed elections. Ambassador Urges Dialogue -------------- ¶6. (U) Ambassador stressed the need to increase dialogue across the parties in order to strengthen Ghana's democracy. She acknowledged that President Kufuor is building on the legacy of other parties and politicians who have come before the NPP and noted that Americans and Ghanaians share common values about democracy and development. Comment -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Mahama is mild-mannered and pro-American (with an American education and an American wife). He appreciated the fact that this was only the second visit of an American Ambassador to his house in 15 years. He was frustrated with what he saw as the personal vindictiveness of the NPP government, which he claimed has purposely not repaired his rutted road and canceled support for some of his government-sponsored gynecology patients. BRIDGEWATER