MEPI SENIOR ADVISOR BRIEFS COL. VALL ON ELECTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L NOUAKCHOTT 001386 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID EFIN KDEM MR SUBJECT: MEPI SENIOR ADVISOR BRIEFS COL. VALL ON ELECTION OBSERVATIONS REF: NOUAKCHOTT 1378 Classified By: CDA Charles H. Twining. Reasons: 1.4 (b),(d) -------------- (SBU) SUMMARY -------------- -- NEA/PI Senior Advisor Kent Patton told military council leader Col. Vall December 5 that he was impressed with the desire of the Mauritanians to have honest elections. -- President Vall for his part expressed satisfaction that the Mauritanian people, when given the opportunity, made choices that were in the best interests of their country. -------------- (C) COMMENT -------------- -- With this most recent step successfully completed, we need now to focus on the final electoral event -- the presidential election. We would encourage additional support to ensure the more important presidential election goes at least as smoothly. End Summary and Comments. ¶1. (U) Visiting NEA Office of Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Senior Advisor Kent A. Patton paid a courtesy call on Military Council for Justice and Democracy President Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall on December 5, accompanied by Charge and DCM (Notetaker). Joining Col. Vall were Foreign Minister Ahmed Ould Sid'Ahmed, Minister Secretary General at the Presidency Habib Ould Hemet, and MFA SIPDIS Spokesman Ambassador Babbah Sidi Abdallah. ¶2. (SBU) Mr. Patton told the President that he observed the voting in the Tagant region, and observed the closing of a polling station in the rural town of Dar es-Salam. He noted that the election officials during this election more scrupulously followed the rule of law than in any election he had observed in his 15 years of experience. He attributed this attentiveness as a desire to have the most honest elections possible. The people had an opportunity to elect a government of their choice and they took it. ¶3. (C) Mr. Patton praised Col. Vall as being the primary force behind the success of the process to date. The USG will continue to watch the process through the presidential elections and the formation of a new government, he added. ¶4. (C) Col. Vall thanked the USG for its continued support and said it was in fact the Mauritanian people who are responsible for the success. The government must have trust in the Mauritanian people and cannot lead without the will of the people. He rejected the idea that the people are not ready for democracy, and free and fair elections are therefore not good for the country, as some have put forward. The results have shown that the Mauritanians are in fact up to the task. Vall noted that all elected candidates were of good quality and moderate. The Mauritanians turned down all forms of extremism, be it Islamist tribal or ethnic extremism. It is extraordinary that the people, given the power to choose, used this trust and elected good candidates. ¶5. (C) The president then noted that the next task is to bring the political class to the same level of trust. Mr. Patton replied that the United States wants to continue to be a partner in the transition, and expressed our desire to seek more opportunities to assist in the process. ¶6. (U) Embassy would like to thank Mr. Patton for visiting Mauritania to assist us in observing the second round of elections, and to consult with the local representatives of NDI, which has received $450,000 of MEPI funds for electoral assistance. We welcome continued MEPI interest in Mauritania's thus far extremely successful transition to democracy. Twining