PRESIDENT YAYI ON MUNICIPAL ELECTION RESULTS

UNCLAS COTONOU 000354 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W DANA BANKS LONDON FOR PETER LORD E.O.12958:N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL BN SUBJECT: PRESIDENT YAYI ON MUNICIPAL ELECTION RESULTS REF: COTONOU 313 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (SBU) During a meeting with heads of donor missions on June 24, 2008, President Yayi gave his first public statement about the results of Benin's April 20 local and municipal elections. He stated that some of the results announced by the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENA) do not reflect the actual votes cast. ¶2. President Yayi explained that CENA results in some communes did not tally with figures on the vote count sheets collected by candidates or party representatives at the polling stations on the day of the elections. He accused the CENA of changing the results in some communes. Although President Yayi did not mention his own coalition of parties, the Cowrie Forces for an Emerging Benin (FCBE) as the victim of these allegedly rigged results, his supporters have repeatedly taken to the streets to prevent the installation of the municipal councils in the communes with disputed results. ¶3. (SBU) President Yayi stated that the law governing municipal elections does not provide for dispute settlement in the event that newly elected municipal council persons fail to be seated. There are currently 22 (of 77) municipal councils that have not been installed. President Yayi assured the diplomats that his government would take all necessary measures to enforce Supreme Court rulings on the disputed municipal council seats. BROWN