OPPOSITION PARTY VOICES CONCERN ABOUT RUNOFF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 FREETOWN 000493

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W, INR/AA (BGRAVES)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM SL
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION PARTY VOICES CONCERN ABOUT RUNOFF
ELECTION AS SLPP DESPERATION GROWS

REF: A. FREETOWN 481


B. FREETOWN 484

C. FREETOWN 486

Classified By: Ambassador Thomas N. Hull for reasons 1.4 (b and d).

SUMMARY
--------------

1. (C) During an August 17 meeting with the Ambassador, All
People's Congress (APC) presidential candidate Ernest Bai
Koroma voiced concern about the 2007 national elections
turning into a replay of the 1967 elections, when the
national elections, which the APC had won over the ruling
party, were nullified by a coup d'etat. Koroma, who requested
the meeting with the Ambassador, said the ruling Sierra Leone
People's Party (SLPP) is unwilling to relinquish power and is
determined to manipulate the election process in the
likelihood of a presidential runoff election. With over 45
percent of the vote certified as of August 16, Koroma holds a
90,000 vote lead over SLPP presidential candidate Vice
President Solomon Berewa. It appears Koroma will maintain his
lead but that no presidential candidate will reach the
requisite 55 percent to avoid a runoff election, which must
be held no later than September 6. Despite his concerns,
Koroma is confident that the APC will win the simple majority
that is required in the runoff and is already thinking about
the challenges his administration will face after he takes
office. With a possible defeat looming, the SLPP appears
ready to resort to desperate measures to remain in power, and
has even gone as far to infer that the international
community has interfered in the elections process. END
SUMMARY.

SLPP DESPERATION INCREASES
--------------

2. (C) Koroma said SLPP officials are becoming increasingly
desperate with the looming threat of possible defeat and have
responded by actively trying to buy the support of the
People's Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) and put
mounting pressure on the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) to arrest
opposition members. Koroma said the SLPP also plans to
intimidate National Electoral Commission (NEC) officials if
necessary. Koroma was also concerned by pressure on the army
to support the SLPP by Deputy Defence Minister Joe Blell,
whom Koroma described as the SLPP's chief strategist for
retaining power. Koroma said in the event of a runoff, his
party would push for the removal of two NEC officials in the
Eastern Province, Edward Nyallay and Dr. Hindowa Momoh, who
the APC feels have been actively working on the SLPP's behalf
in the East.

THE DESIRE FOR CHANGE
--------------

3. (C) Koroma said the August 11 national elections indicated
a strong desire for change on the part of all Sierra Leoneans
but expressed his party's disappointment that the NEC was
taking so long to certify the results. He shared the
Ambassador's concern that the longer the NEC takes to
announce the official results, the more opportunity there is
for political parties to cause mischief. Koroma said he was
pleased with the APC's campaign efforts and felt his party
had made considerable inroads in the Southern and Eastern
Provinces that have traditionally been SLPP strongholds. He
said unofficial party results showed the APC had won one
Parliament seat in Moyamba and one in Bo in the South and had
narrowly lost a seat in Kono District in the East. He felt
these victories were an indication of a greater acceptance of
the APC in those areas. Overall, the APC appears to have won
about 61 out of the 112 parliamentary seats (another 12 will
be occupied by those elected separately to represent the
Paramount Chiefs.)

WINNING THE RUNOFF
--------------

4. (C) Koroma was confident that in the likelihood of a
runoff election the APC would win. He said the APC has a good
working relationship with the PMDC, which would make a
difference in the second round and throw support towards the
APC. He also felt confident that the APC working with the
PMDC would help unify the country.

WHAT LIES AHEAD
--------------

5. (C) Koroma said he is aware of the great challenges that
lie ahead for Sierra Leone and clearly understands that
expectations for the incoming government will be very high.
He said it would be imperative that international assistance
increase to help meet those expectations and build public
confidence. Past governments in Sierra Leone have made many
mistakes, he said, but under his administration there would

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be a fresh start. He wants to build on an already solid
relationship with the U.S. and said his administration would
look to the USG for greater levels of support than in the
past. Koroma said he hoped the Ambassador would continue to
advocate on Sierra Leone's behalf and serve as the unofficial
Sierra Leonean Ambassador to the U.S. following the
completion of his tenure on August 27.


6. (C) If the APC were to win, the Ambassador told Koroma
that it would be critical for any new government to work to
build the public's confidence. The Ambassador suggested a
good starting point would be to address corruption by
revitalizing the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The
Ambassador cautioned that this would a delicate matter since
a new government should not give the impression that it is on
a witch hunt, but should signal that it wants to make a
genuine effort to stamp out corruption. The Ambassador said a
show of political will to rid the government of graft would
buy valuable time to begin the long journey to rebuild the
infrastructure, create jobs, and encourage private
investment. The Ambassador suggested that if the election is
deemed credible and Koroma becomes President, he may want to
visit Washington early in his presidency to explore further
avenues of cooperation and assistance.

SLPP CRITICIZES DIPLOMATIC CORPS
--------------

7. (C) Following the meeting with Koroma, the Ambassador and
DCM attended a hastily called meeting with Executive
Representative of the Secretary General (ERSG) of the UN
Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSOL) Victor Angelo,
which included the British High Commissioner. Both the ERSG
and British High Commissioner had been personally presented
an aide memoire from the Office of the President by Minister
of Foreign Affairs and SLPP vice presidential candidate
Momodu Koroma. According to the ERSG and High Commissioner,
FM Koroma had appeared uncomfortable delivering the aide
memoire that was critical of the diplomatic corps for
interference in the electoral process. He indicated that
President Kabbah and Vice President Berewa were personally
involved. The paper stated, inter alia, that members of the
diplomatic corps had no right to visit opposition parties in
their party headquarters, and specifically criticized USAID
for financing radio reporting of election results that are
allegedly causing ruling party supporters to be harassed.


8. (C) Separately, on August 17, the Government called in
heads of the African missions to meet with MFA Director
General Umaru Wurie who presented them with the same message
to not interfere with the national elections. At a UN-hosted
lunch on August 17, the African Ambassadors reported that
they had rejected the aide memoire as inappropriate. All
attending the meeting, including UNIOSIL officials, members
of the diplomatic corps, and international organization
representatives, agreed that the aide memoire showed the SLPP
was running scared and that the international community
should continue its efforts to diffuse the situation,
building on the joint statement delivered to the three
political parties (SLPP, APC, PMDC) on August 15 by the head
of the EC and the Ghanaian and Egyptian Ambassadors calling
for patience and calm as the NEC completes the tallying
process (Ref B).

COMMENT
--------------

9. (C) The strongly-worded aide memoire was personally
delivered to the recipients, but we have yet to receive a
copy directly from the GoSL or SLPP. The Ambassador's
farewell call on August 16 with President Kabbah (Ref C) may
have forestalled such a visit. The allegation concerning
USAID is rubbish, and we are unaware of any intimidation of
ruling party supporters. It is certain that Ernest Koroma's
visit to the Embassy on August 17 will not please SLPP
officials.


10. (C) Although the overall tenor of the elections remains
positive, indications are increasing that the ruling SLPP, in
the face of impending defeat, is determined to hold on to
power by any means necessary, and may be willing to risk
stability to achieve their goal. To avoid a repeat of 1967,
it is imperative that all political parties continue to
respect the electoral process and that the SLP and Republic
of Sierra Leone Armed Forces maintain their neutrality. This
has been our constant message throughout, and one echoed by
all international observers. If there is a presidential
runoff, the NEC will need to expedite delivery of the results
to avoid a repeat of the current uncertain situation. The
longer it takes to deliver the results, the more
opportunities there are for political parties to manipulate,
undermine, or usurp the process to achieve their goals. END

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COMMENT.
HULL