THE GAMBIA: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ADVANCED TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANJUL 000359 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM GA SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ADVANCED TO SEPTEMBER REF: BANJUL 231 AND PREVIOUS (NOTAL) Classified By: Ambassador Joseph Stafford, reason 1.4 (b and d). ¶1. (U) This is an action message -- see para 5. ¶2. (U) The GOTG has announced that the presidential election will be held on September 22, vice October, as previously scheduled. In its announcement, the GOTG noted that the holy month of Ramadan fell during October, and indicated that Muslims' Ramadan fasting rendered full campaign activities impractical. ¶3. (U) The opposition wasted no time in endorsing the revised election date. Ousainou Darboe, head of The Gambia's largest opposition party, the United Democratic Party (UDP),told the media that "it does not matter when the election is held, as we'll be ready to wage an effective campaign to defeat (President) Jammeh." ¶4. (C) COMMENT: There had been speculation that the GOTG, instead of advancing the election date due to Ramadan, would push it back to November. It is noteworthy that the country's leading opposition figure, UDP head Darboe, has readily embraced the revised date, eschewing any suggestion in his statement of an effort by Jammeh and his ruling APRC party to accelerate the electoral process so as to cut short opposition parties' electioneering. Despite Darboe's upbeat talk, though, Jammeh's re-election is taken for granted by most of our contacts, who portray the fragmentation besetting the opposition parties as ensuring Jammeh's triumph. END COMMENT. ¶5. (C) ACTION REQUEST FOR DEPARTMENT: We take this opportunity to repeat our previous request for Department's approval of our proposed $300,000 ESF project to provide IFES support for the Independent Electoral Commission's preparations for the upcoming presidential election as well as the subsequent National Assembly election scheduled for January 2007 (reftel). We continue to believe that the fragility of The Gambia's democratization -- as reflected in the failed coup plot here in March and the GOTG's ensuing harsh campaign to ferret out suspected plotters and rein in the media -- only underscores the need for donor assistance on behalf of the strengthening of democratic institutions. END ACTION REQUEST. STAFFORD