ISLAMISTS PLANNING TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 001197

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2016
TAGS: PINR PREL PGOV PHUM EAID KPAO MR
SUBJECT: ISLAMISTS PLANNING TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS

REF: NOUAKCHOTT 1193

Classified By: CDA Steven Koutsis, Reasons 1.4(b)(d)

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(C) Summary
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-- Jemil Mansour, a key figure in Mauritania's Islamist
movement, told Charge that Islamists are planning on actively
participating in the coming elections.

-- Mansour indicated that if the government prevented their
participation, the Islamists would "respond in a
proportionate way."

-- Mansour's group has joined other parties in denouncing the
government's recent meddling (reftel). He threatened that
continued government interference in the political process
would lead to a boycott of the elections, "but we're not
there yet."

-- As Islamist parties have been denied official government
recognition, they plan to run their candidates on independent
lists.

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(C) Comments
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-- Mansour has consistently portrayed himself, and
Mauritania's Islamists, as moderate and supportive of open
relations and dialogue with the West.

-- How the Ministry of Interior handles accreditation of
candidate lists will be the next test on how open the
government will be in the process. If past practice is
indicative, the government will not stay entirely neutral.

End Summary and Comments.


1. (C) Jemil Ould Mansour, a key figure in Mauritania's
Islamist movement, met with Charge September 27 to discuss
Islamists' plans for the coming elections. Mansour began the
meeting by explaining that Mauritanian Islamists, represented
by his unrecognized political party The Centrist Reformist
Party, are moderate and want "direct and open relations with
all our partners including the United States," and he
stressed the importance of "an ongoing and open dialogue."

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ISLAMIST ELECTORAL STRATEGY
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2. (C) Mansour said that, as his party is unrecognized by the
government, they intend to run their Islamists candidates on
independent lists. He was confident that the group could
establish lists at least in all the major cities, despite the
government interference. "The Mauritanian people will know
that our lists are Islamists, and won't confuse our
candidates with the governments independent lists," referring
to the recent efforts by the government to encourage
candidates to run as independents (reftel).


3. (C) When asked what Islamists would do if the government
banned them from running as independents, Mansour said "I
have heard the rumors that this might happen, but it would be
a very stupid move by the government and I don't believe they
will do it," adding that "if they did so, we would find a
proportionate response." "Though unrecognized, we are an
important political force," he said, adding that "this is why
Colonel Vall met with us before the referendum and asked for
our support." Mansour, however, was concerned that the
government would find ways to remove the more influential
individuals from lists, rather than rejecting lists entirely,
as a way to limit the Islamists' ability to attract votes.

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ISLAMIST VIEWS ON THE TRANSITION
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4. (C) "We believe the best thing for the Mauritanian people

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is to have a transparent transition to elections and
democracy," Mansour said. "This is why we have supported the
democratic transition since August 3, despite continued
harassment and the withholding of recognition by the
government." "The problem," Mansour said, "is the word
Islamist." "There are extreme Islamists and moderate
Islamists, and we are moderate," he said, adding that "this
is why we prefer to call ourselves Centrist Reformists."


5. (C) Mansour discussed the current political party unrest
over the government's actions to encourage independent
candidates (reftel) saying "the government has broken its
promise of neutrality and this is a very bad sign." He noted
his group has joined together with Mauritania's other
political parties to oppose this interference, adding "we are
not currently planning on boycotting the elections, but we
have not ruled out such an action."


6. (C) Mansour said the National Independent Electoral
Commission had an important role to play, but that currently
it was "a little weak and lacked sufficient independence to
be effective." He also stressed the importance of national
and international election observers.

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GOVERNMENT MAINTAINS ITS POSITION ON ISLAMISTS
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7. (U) In Vall's recent visit to France (reftel) he once
again reaffirmed the government's position on Islamist
parties, saying "there is no question and there will never be
any question of authorizing any party in the name of religion
and in the name of Islam." He added "we shall not allow
anybody to takeover what belongs to everybody. In
Mauritania, Islam belongs to everybody."


8. (C) Mansour has a long history of activism in Mauritania,
and was frequently jailed for periods of weeks to months
between the late 1990s and 2005 (during the Taya
administration). Claiming asylum in Belgium from June 2003
until February 2004, Mansour started the "Mauritanian Forum
for Reform and Democracy." Charge met him at his
unrecognized political party office on the second story of an
Islamic youth center.
Koutsis