LIBERIA: ONGOING POWER STRUGGLE WITHIN CDC PARTY

UNCLAS MONROVIA 000377

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: n/a
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EAID LI
SUBJECT: LIBERIA: ONGOING POWER STRUGGLE WITHIN CDC PARTY


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. A month-long power struggle inside Liberia's most
popular opposition party, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC),
was not resolved at National Elections Commission (NEC) hearing, and
the case has been sent to the Supreme Court. If there is no
solution before the CDC's 2009 annual convention, the party risks
being split in two. CDC Secretary General announced March 24 that
Acting Chairman Joshua Sackie had resigned and been replaced by
Geraldine Doe-Sheriff. Sackie says he never resigned and therefore
is still in charge. Former CDC presidential candidate and soccer
star George Weah has publicly supported Doe-Sheriff as the Acting
Chairperson. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) CDC's Secretary General Eugene Nagbe announced to the press
March 24 that the party's Acting Chairman Joshua Sackie resigned and
the Executive Committee selected Geraldine Doe-Sheriff as Acting
Chairman to replace him. Sackie immediately held a press conference
to say that he had never resigned and the resignation letter Nagbe
referred to was forged. He went on to explain that he had been
asked to resign several times over policy issues and that George
Weah had refused to speak to him for the last two years. Yet, as
party bylaws stipulate that he can only be formally terminated
during the party's annual convention, he said he intended to
continue work until the next meeting in 2009. Sackie has gathered
the support of some party leaders such as former NTGL Minister of
Commerce Samuel Wlue, founding CDC member McDonald Wento, and former
party Chairman Bangalu Cole. He has filed a writ of injunction to
the Supreme Court against the decision to remove him. It is not yet
clear if the Court will hear the case before the 2009 convention.


3. (U) Former CDC presidential candidate and soccer star George Weah
publicly recognized Geraldine Doe-Sheriff as Acting Chairman of the
party on Liberian radio talk shows (via telephone from his residence
in the U.S.). Weah pledged to continually support her chairmanship
and has rallied many of the party's current executive membership,
such as Eugene Nagbe and Milton Teahjay, behind Doe-Sheriff.
Doe-Sheriff set up a shadow party management structure, which called
both our Embassy and the NEC attempting to get recognition.


4. (U) The National Elections Commission (NEC) held a hearing April
15 to determine which party leadership it should acknowledge. NEC
concluded that CDC's bylaws required a formal resignation or removal
at the party's convention for an Acting Chairperson to be replaced.
With neither a valid resignation letter nor a formal termination for
Joshua Sackie, NEC decided it would continue to recognize him as
Acting Chairman of CDC until the 2009 CDC convention.


5. (SBU) Following the NEC hearing, Milton Teahjay, an executive
member of the CDC supporting Doe-Sheriff and former GOL official
under Charles Taylor, condemned NEC and called for the removal of
all its Commissioners. Teahjay said Fromayan and his colleagues
were "incapable" of conducting credible elections. Teahjay's
statement was condemned by ten other political parties.


6. (SBU) COMMENT. The power struggle within the CDC is threatening
to hurt the party irreparably. As the CDC is the only opposition
party with truly national appeal, its possible fracture into two
separate parties could harm the opposition overall as a political
force. (NOTE: Liberty Party fails to get much support outside of
Grand Bassa County and is marginalizing some voters with recent
radical stances on issues. END NOTE.) The lack of a credible
opposition gives the ruling Unity Party and the smaller parties
aligned with it relatively more power as the country prepares for
the 2011 presidential and legislative elections. NEC Chairman James
Fromayan told PolOff privately that he considered the recent
behavior of the CDC party childish and said, "That's exactly why we
appreciate the political party strengthening programs the U.S.
Embassy funds."

BOOTH