OPPOSITION PARTIES DECLINE TO JOIN NEW GOVERNMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIBREVILLE 000025

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

KINSHASA ALSO FOR BRAZZAVILLE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2016
TAGS: PGOV GB KDEM
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION PARTIES DECLINE TO JOIN NEW GOVERNMENT

REF: LIBREVILLE 0001

Classified By: Ambassador Barrie Walkley for reason 1.4 b and d


1. (U) In December's legislative elections, Gabon's ruling
party -- the PDG -- won 83 out of 120 seats in the National
Assembly; allied parties expected to support the government
picked up 16 seats. In addition, 4 individuals running as
independents (without any party affiliation) won seats.
Opposition parties won 17 seats.


2. (C) It was anticipated that a new government would be
announced during the first week of January -- and that
included in the cabinet would be figures from the opposition
and from civil society. (President Omar Bongo over the years
has had a strategy of "embracing" or buying off the
opposition as a means of taming political opponents.)
However, there has been no new government yet announced --
apparently because the opposition parties this time are
rejecting all offers of cabinet positions.


3. (C) Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong approached the
leaders of the two principal opposition parties earlier last
week. hoping to be able to convince them to accept cabinet
positions. Both Pierre Mamboundou (of the UPG) and Zachary
Myboto (of the UGDD) declined the offer. On Friday, Bongo
himself tried, with the same results. Mamboundou and Myboto
told Bongo that they were following the logic that "the
majority party should govern and the opposition should
oppose." So far, the other opposition parties (the PGP, the
CDJ, the RNB and the FAR) are adopting the same line. All
of the opposition parties, however, are committed to
occupying their seats in the National Assembly.


4. (U) The new National Assembly is to be sworn-in on January

24. By custom, Gabon's prime minister and members of the new
cabinet are announced before the National Assembly is
sworn-in.


5. (C) COMMENT: Mamboundou boycotted the 2001 legislative
elections and has long proclaimed his independence from
Bongo. His declining the offer of a cabinet position is a
means of continuing that independence and maintaining his
credentials as chief of the opposition. NOTE: Those
sentiments have not totally prevented him from accepting
Bongo's assistance: After police in 2006 raided his
house/party HQ, Mamboundou found refuge in the South African
embassy for months -- until Bongo met him (and provided him a
luxury suite at the Meridien hotel). Mamboundou later
quietly accepted a villa from Bongo (Mamboundou strenuously
insists that there has been no compromise of principle here,
asserting that the villa is compensation for the damage
security forces inflicted on his old compound). As Mamboundou
sees it, in this case he made Bongo pay for an extra-legal
action.

WALKLEY