GHANA'S OPPOSITION ENERGIZES GRASSROOTS SUPPORTERS THROUGH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000860

DEPT FOR AF/W

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM GH
SUBJECT: GHANA'S OPPOSITION ENERGIZES GRASSROOTS SUPPORTERS THROUGH
PARTY REFORM

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Summary
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1. (SBU) At its August 22 National Conference, Ghana's main
opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) made important amendments to
the party's constitution that broadly expand the voting base for
choosing parliamentary and presidential candidates. Upon the
recommendation of the incumbent National Executive leaders,
delegates removed the power of party executives to select
parliamentary candidates, selected a primary system to choose
parliamentary candidates in each constituency, vastly expanded the
number of party members who will choose the party's presidential
candidate, and placed a cap on the number of presidential aspirants.
Party leaders told us they had been concerned about the
marginalization of grassroots supporters, but said these reforms
will rejuvenate the NPP's base. The conference reflected sharp
divisions over the amendments, underscoring differences between
former NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo (who supported the
reforms) and Alan Kyerematen and former President John Kufuor(who
opposed). The reforms' success strengthens the position of
Akuffo-Addo and the party's national executive in the run-up to the
election for national executive positions planned for December. End
Summary.


2. (U) In an attempt to address factors that contributed to the
party's defeat in the 2008 elections, the NPP held its National
Delegates Conference on August 22 in Accra to vote on wide-ranging
amendments to the party constitution that were initiated by the
party's National Executive. Emboffs attended the conference's
opening session, which featured addresses by party Chairman Peter
Mac-Manu, Minority Leader in Parliament Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, and
former President John Kufuor.

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NPP Reforms Candidate Selection Process
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3. (U) NPP delegates voted to restrict presidential aspirants to
five, an effort to avoid a replay of the circus atmosphere at the
party's 2007 national conference where 17 candidates vied for the
party's nomination.


4. (U) To reform the selection process for presidential candidates,
the delegates first voted to expand the party's Electoral College to
include party executives, party institutional representatives,
district chief executives, and MPs (totaling about 1,430 people).
This Electoral College will select five candidates. Second, the
delegates amended the party constitution to allow over 105,000 party
members (the above representatives plus party members from all 230
constituencies and polling stations),to vote for the party
flag-bearer from among the five candidates. [Note: Under the
previous selection system, only about 2,350 party leaders voted for
the candidate. End Note].


5. (U) The party also voted to select parliamentary candidates
through a primary system rather than through appointment by party
executives. [Note: Given the NDC's reforms to its own constitution
in 2006, both of Ghana's main parties now have primary systems to
select MP candidates. End Note.]

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MAC-MANU: NPP MUST ENERGIZE GRASSROOTS
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6. (U) In his opening address, NPP Chairman Peter Mac-Manu said the
NPP must examine why it was defeated in 2008, and take steps to
strengthen the party. Mac-Manu urged delegates to approve
amendments to expand the voting base for choosing presidential and
parliamentary candidates, and energize the NPP's grassroots
supporters. Mac-Manu also urged the Akufo-Addo and Kyerematen
factions to desist from divisive practices.

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MINORITY LEADER SIGNALS PARLIAMENTARY SUPPORT FOR REFORM
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7. (U) Parliamentary Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu stressed
the NPP's economic achievements during its two terms, including
reduced inflation, improvement in economic growth . He said that the
NPP in parliament was challenging the ruling NDC government,
stressing that the seven months of NDC rule had exposed the
bankruptcy of ideas in President Mills' government.


8. (U) Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu criticized NPP division, and said that
the party needed to broaden its support base by expanding the number
of members who take part in the selection of candidates. He
signaled that NPP MPs would support the amendments as a bloc.


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KUFUOR URGES UNITY
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9. (U) In his address, former President Kufuor (who had opposed many
of the amendments) urged delegates to rally behind leadership to
reclaim power in 2012. Kufuor conceded that he disagreed with the
party executive on the proposed amendments, but urged the party to
tolerate different views and to accept the results of the vote for
the sake of party unity.

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COMMENT
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10. (SBU) By significantly expanding the base of party activists who
will choose future presidential candidates, the NPP will likely
succeed in energizing grassroots supporters as it looks toward 2012.
While Kyerematen and Kufuor opposed the amendments that will limit
the power of the party's elite, both men remain powerful figures
within the NPP, and Kyerematen will likely continue his effort to
build support for the 2012 nomination. Nevertheless, these results
indicate that Akufo-Addo and the incumbent party leadership retain
the upper hand at this early stage. Finally, we note that with the
NPP's decision to choose parliamentary candidates through a primary
system, Ghana's two main parties have now moved away from a system
in which candidacies were tightly controlled by a small group of
party leaders. This reform could potentially have positive
implications in terms of strengthening the ties between MPs and
their constituents.

TEITELBAUM