BEN ALI ADVISOR DEFENDS NEW PROPOSED CRITERIA FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000496 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/FO (GRAY) AND NEA/MAG (HOPKINS, HARRIS); DRL FOR JOHNSTONE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KDEM TS SUBJECT: BEN ALI ADVISOR DEFENDS NEW PROPOSED CRITERIA FOR PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS REF: A. TUNIS 408 ¶B. TUNIS 407 ¶C. TUNIS 337 ¶D. TUNIS 298 Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: In a meeting with the Ambassador on May 8, Minister of State and Presidential Advisor Ben Dhia defended the GOT's proposed constitutional amendment stipulating requirements for presidential candidates as more "liberal" than the stringent criteria currently in the Constitution. In answer to the Ambassador's expressed concerns that the new criteria are narrowly defined and exclude certain candidates, Ben Dhia countered that five opposition parties would be able to put forward candidates, as a result of Ben Ali's "opening." The Ambassador also discussed the situation facing opposition newspaper al-Mowqif and coordination on assistance with Ben Dhia. We do not expect the GOT to amend the draft law as a result of our intervention, but we know our concerns have been heard and urge Washington to echo them, as appropriate. End Summary. -------------- Criteria for Presidential Candidates Represent "Liberalization of the Process -------------- ¶2. (C) During a May 8 one-on-one tour d'horizon with Minister of State and Presidential Advisor Abdelaziz Ben Dhia the Ambassador expressed concern about the draft law to amend the constitution regarding criteria for presidential candidates for the 2009 elections. (Note: The new criteria stipulate that secretaries general of registered political parties can run for president, provided they had been elected and held office for more than two years. Independent opposition parties have rejected the proposed terms asserting that they are designed to exclude the candidacies of certain would-be presidential contenders. See Refs C and D.) Noting that the law's extremely narrow terms excluded certain candidates, the Ambassador told Ben Dhia that the law had raised questions in Washington and elsewhere. Ben Dhia defended the proposed law, explaining at length how it represents an improvement over the even more stringent criteria that currently exist in the constitution. (Note: Article 40 of the Constitution requires the signatures of 30 mayors and/or deputies in the Chamber of Deputies. All mayors are members of the ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) party. The total number of all opposition members combined in the Chamber of Deputies is 37.) Lamenting that the issue is being viewed from a negative angle, Ben Dhia explained that President Ben Ali had understood that the constitutional requirements were too strict and had therefore decided to "liberalize" the process. He maintained the necessity of "some controls," however, pointing out that even countries like France and the United States impose eligibility criteria for presidential candidates. ¶3. (C) Ben Dhia indicated that new criteria would allow representatives from five opposition parties to run, "including Maya Jribi," the Secretary General of the opposition Progressive Democratic Party (PDP). On the candidacy of Nejib Chebbi, the declared PDP candidate, Ben Dhia indicated that it had been Chebbi's decision to step down as Secretary General. Ben Dhia dismissed the pretensions of Democratic Forum for Work and Liberty (FDTL) Secretary General Mustapha Ben Jaafar, noting that in the five years of its existence the FDTL had not held a party congress to elect its leader. The Ambassador reiterated US concerns and suggested that the restrictive criteria were not positive for Tunisia. -------------- Defamation Suits Against Al-Mowqif "Normal" -------------- ¶4. (C) Ben Dhia broached the issue of the legal problems faced by PDP newspaper al-Mowqif, pulling out a copy of the April 4 edition of the paper. That edition contained an article urging the GOT to investigate reports of sub-standard cooking oil, which prompted five vegetable oil companies to file defamation suits (Ref B). Indicating that he reads the opposition press regularly, he brushed off the notion that somehow the GOT was behind the lawsuits. "Al-Mowqif is not considered a threat to the GOT or to the RCD," he said He asserted that it was "completely normal" for private companies to bring defamation charges when their products are unfairly maligned in the press. He noted that the United States has defamation laws, too. -------------- ESF, USAID: Opportunities for Cooperation -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador also raised the $1.2 million Congress has appropriated in ESF for FY 2008, noting that this was the first time since the departure of USAID in the 1990s that Tunisia would receive ESF. He made clear that the United States wants to work in partnership with the GOT in using these funds. He also noted that the Embassy had officially notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the appropriation and had solicited its views on how to spend the funds. The Ambassador underscored, however, that we must move quickly to obligate the funds by the end of the fiscal year. Ben Dhia seemed aware of the new funding source and suggested that Minister of Development and International Cooperation Nouri Jouini would be the best interlocutor. The Ambassador noted that he was also in touch on coordination with Jouini, but the process so far had been slow and bureaucratic. In addition, the Ambassador raised the long-requested "exploratory visit" by a team from USAID which was prepared to consider funding programs dealing with the youth unemployment problem. Again, Ben Dhia was aware of the background and noted that it was his understanding that Foreign Minister Abdallah would want an agreement to govern such a visit and any subsequent programs. The Ambassador reiterated the Embassy's readiness to discuss the matter in hopes of reaching a final decision soon. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) Ben Dhia's assertion that the new presidential candidacy requirements represent a liberalization is a stretch. While the law is less restrictive than the requirements stipulated in the constitution, those criteria haven't been used since 1994. The GOT passed exceptional laws in 1999 and 2004 amending the presidential candidacy criteria for those specific elections. It is true that the law governing the 2009 elections no longer requires parties to have seats in parliament, nor do the candidates have to have five years of service in senior positions, as the 2004 law did. Under the new criteria, however, only elected secretaries general with two years of service are eligible to run. This criteria excludes two would-be independent opposition candidates -- Nejib Chebbi for the PDP and Mustapha Ben Jaafar for the FDTL, which cannot be a coincidence. Of the five opposition parties that could present candidates, one (the Social Liberal Party) has already endorsed Ben Ali's candidacy, and another (the PDP) has told us it is unlikely to participate if it can't choose its own candidate. While we do not expect the GOT to amend the draft law as a result of our intervention, it is important that our concerns have been heard at the highest levels. We would urge the Department to echo this message when opportunities present themselves. GODEC