GUINEA'S NEWEST POLITICAL PARTY - REPRESENTING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CONAKRY 001090 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM GV SUBJECT: GUINEA'S NEWEST POLITICAL PARTY - REPRESENTING OPPOSITION YOUTH ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Guinea,s newest political party is a multi-ethnic party of youth, according to party founders. Claiming about 1000 members, the party plans to participate in the upcoming legislative elections with the goal of winning at least five National Assembly seats. Party leaders denounced recent rumors of linkages with Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate although they indicated that the party may ultimately support his administration. The party is closely tied to the Guinean diaspora in the U.S. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On September 26, poloff met with three officers of Guinea,s newest political party, La Convergence des Patriotes de Guinea (CPG): Kandas Conde, Vice President; Keita Sekou Nasser, Treasurer; and Kante Alpha Kabinet, Secretary. SIPDIS -------------- FIRST NEW POLITICAL PARTY IN A DECADE -------------- ¶3. (SBU) When the Government of Guinea (GoG) legalized political parties in 1992, 45 different parties registered. A few years later, another party joined the list, bringing the total number of registered political parties to 46. In September, the assistant director of the office responsible for political parties at the Ministry of Interior and Security (MIS),told poloff that the CPG had been officially registered as a full-fledged political party, making it the first new political party in the country in more than a decade. -------------- WE ARE FOR THE YOUTH -------------- ¶4. (SBU) According to the party,s vice president, Kandas Conde, the party was formed because its founders noticed that nearly all of Guinea,s existing political parties were organized along ethnic lines. In addition, they did not see any party that adequately represented Guinea,s younger population. Our main purpose, Conde said, is to present a multi-ethnic, youth-based option. With respect to the upcoming legislative elections, Conde said that the CPG plans to participate and hopes to win at least five seats in the National Assembly. -------------- LINKS TO THE U.S. -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The CPG,s President, Dr. Billy Allarynn Keita, age 42, has been living in New York City since 1996 (Note: Keita may be either a U.S. citizen or a green card holder, but party representatives were not certain of his status). Keita is also a member of the Community Guinean, a diaspora organization in the U.S. Conde said that the idea of the CPG party was born in Philadelphia in 2000 among members of the Guinean diaspora. It took the party five years to finalize its mission statement and paperwork, which it then submitted to MIS. -------------- BUILDING MEMBERSHIP -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Conde stated that the party is in the process of increasing membership and estimated current support at around 1000 members. He added that the CPG is represented not only in Conakry, but in several cities throughout the country including Coyah, Kindia, Kouroussa and Kissidougou. Party supporters are almost exclusively young Guineans, under the age of 40, according to Conde. Most of these are either students or university-educated, he said. (Note: Conde himself is a professor of political science at the university in Conakry). ¶7. (SBU) The CPG has already identified a building to serve as party headquarters and is in the process of refurbishing it, Conde said. He added that most of the party,s financing comes from the party president and members of the Guinean diaspora in the U.S. -------------- WE ARE NOT KOUYATE'S PARTY -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Conde described the party as ¢rist opposition8 with the objective of working positively with the government in order to improve the country,s economic and political situation. He added that the CPG supports the CONAKRY 00001090 002 OF 002 current government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate, but if progress is not made, the party could become more extreme in its opposition platform. ¶9. (SBU) Recent press reports have linked the CPG with Kouyate, claiming that the party is in fact Kouyate,s creation as he attempts to build political support for a possible presidential bid in 2010. Conde said that the party is not linked to Kouyate at all and in fact, the idea was born in 2000, long before Kouyate was involved in politics. In an interview with a local internet news agency, Guinea24.com, CPG President Keita said unequivocally that the party is not in any way linked to Kouyate, nor to any other current political figure. However, Conde told poloff that if the Prime Minister requested it, the party would likely support him as long as he continues to do his job. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (SBU) There is some question as to whether the CPG is actually legal. Guinean law requires that the first four executives of the party be from each of the main ethnic groups (Malinke, Soussou, Peuhl, and one from a Forest Region tribe). While party representatives claimed that the CPG is a multi-ethnic party, all three of those who spoke to poloff as well as the party president, are Malinke. In addition, although the assistant director at MIS says the party is legal, the director of that office did not appear to know anything about it. Some contacts, including within the ruling Party for Unity and Progress, are questioning whether proper legal procedures were followed. ¶11. (SBU) While party leaders say the party is not linked to Kouyate, there are several natural connections that could bring them together. Kouyate is Malinke, as are all four of the Embassy,s party contacts. The CPG is represented in Kouroussa and well supported there, according to Conde, which is Kouyate,s hometown. In addition, Kouyate just finished a visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly, during which time he also reportedly met with the Community Guinean, the diaspora organization from which the CPG sprung. END COMMENT. CARTER