Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09LIBREVILLE349
2009-07-29 12:34:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Libreville
Cable title:  

GABON: WHO'S WHO OF THE FRONT-RUNNING

Tags:  PGOV PINR PREL GB 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9183
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHLC #0349/01 2101234
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 291234Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1322
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LIBREVILLE 000349 

SIPDIS

AF/C FOR LISA KORTE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL GB
SUBJECT: GABON: WHO'S WHO OF THE FRONT-RUNNING
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

REF: A. A: 09 LIBREVILLE 00220

B. B: 09 LIBREVILLE 00334

C. C: 09 LIBREVILLE 00338

Classified By: PolOff Chris Gunning for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

-------
SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LIBREVILLE 000349

SIPDIS

AF/C FOR LISA KORTE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL GB
SUBJECT: GABON: WHO'S WHO OF THE FRONT-RUNNING
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

REF: A. A: 09 LIBREVILLE 00220

B. B: 09 LIBREVILLE 00334

C. C: 09 LIBREVILLE 00338

Classified By: PolOff Chris Gunning for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) With the race for the Gabonese presidency underway,
there are a number of presidential hopefuls who will remain
important throughout the election cycle. The full roster of
candidates, 23 in all, contains only a handful of legitimate
contenders to succeed Omar Bongo. This cable identifies the
&movers and shakers8 of the Gabonese presidential race and
outlines their significance. Among those with the best
chances of winning the simple plurality race are Ali Bongo
Ondimba, current Minister of Defense and son of the deceased
president, technocrat Casimir Oye Mba, former Prime Minister
Jean Eyeghe Ndong, perennial opposition leader Pierre
Mamboundou, and former Minister of the Interior Andre Mba
Obame. END SUMMARY.

--------------
PDG - Ali Bongo Ondimba
--------------


2. (U) On July 15, the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG)
nominated Minister of Defense and eldest son of the deceased
President, Ali Bongo Ondimba, as their candidate for the
upcoming elections. The official nomination provides Bongo
with full access to the vast financial resources and
geographical reach of the ruling PDG party (Reftel C). The
PDG,s decision to declare Bongo as their candidate came one
week later than expected - due to stronger-than-anticipated
opposition within the PDG from Bongo's challengers (Reftel
A). With a pretense of consensus in the PDG, Bongo,s
nomination was confirmed by the party July 18. As Minister
of Defense, Ali Bongo controls the Gabonese armed forces, and
as Omar Bongo,s eldest son he has access to the considerable
Bongo family fortune (Reftel C). Bongo is a member of the
Bateke ethnic group, a minority in Gabon. However, during
Omar Bongo,s presidency Bateke and allied ethnic groups were
moved to key leadership positions within multiple ministries.



3. (C) Ali Bongo is the de facto leader of the ruling PDG,
though his leadership is not unquestioned. Ali Bongo,s

major obstacle is his lack of popularity. Even among Bateke,
Ali Bongo has lukewarm support because he does not speak Teke
and is considered an outsider. Many Gabonese are open about
their desire to avoid a &monarchy8 and see Ali Bongo as an
extension of his father,s legacy despite Bongo,s effort to
portray himself as a reformer. His nomination as the PDG
candidate led to three high-level defections from the PDG,
including then-Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong. Ali Bongo
is also the likeliest target for opposition groups and other
contenders of leadership of the PDG. He recently come under
criticism due to his refusal to step down as Minister of
Defense during the campaign season.

-------------- --------------
Former PDG and Minister of Mines - Casimir Oye-Mba
-------------- --------------


4. (C) On July 18 Oye-Mba resigned as the Minister for Mines,
Petroleum and Hydrocarbons, and withdrew from the PDG and
announced his candidacy. He is a former Prime Minister from
1990-1994 and one of the ten original prospects considered by
the PDG political bureau for the party,s nomination. He has
strong international and finance connections due to his
former position as head of the Bank of Central African States
(BEAC). Oye-Mba is Fang, Gabon,s largest ethnic group with
approximately 30 percent of the population. NOTE: Due to
political maneuverings on the part of deceased President
Bongo, Fang leadership is divided along provincial lines.
Oye-Mba has the support of many Fang from the Libreville /
Estuaire area, though his support drops significantly outside
of the capital.

-------------- --------------
Former PDG and Prime Minister - Jean Eyeghe Ndong
-------------- --------------


5. (C) Jean Eyeghe Ndong, until July 17, was the Prime
Minister of Gabon. Also one of the ten original prospects
considered for the PDG nomination, Eyeghe Ndong resigned
shortly after the nomination of Ali Bongo as the PDG

LIBREVILLE 00000349 002 OF 003


candidate. Eyeghe Ndong claims that he resigned his Prime
Ministerial position and from the PDG due to what he termed
&irregularities8 and an absence of real consensus in the
PDG selection process. Eyeghe Ndong is running for president
as an independent (Reftel C). After the death of President
Bongo, it was Eyeghe Ndong who moved quickly to initiate the
constitutional process that led to the appointment of Rose
Francine Rogombe as Interim President. Prior to his
resignation, Eyeghe Ndong remained active in government,
including brokering a conclusion to a strike by Gabon,s mine
workers on July 15. In his speech at the funeral of Omar
Bongo he accused the PDG and the Bongo family of profiteering
and trying to force him out of a leadership position. Eyeghe
Ndong is Fang with a base of support in the Estuaire region.

-------------- --------------
Former PDG and Minister of Interior) Andre Mba Obame
-------------- --------------


6. (C) Former Minister of Interior and close ally of Ali
Bongo, Andre Mba Obame declared his resignation from the PDG
and his position as Minister for Coordination and Follow-Up
of Governmental Action on July 17. Unlike Oye-Mba and Eyeghe
Ndong, Mba Obame did not put his name forward and was not on
the list of 10 candidates considered for the PDG nomination.
Mba Obame made the announcement for the presidency in the
hospital room where Omar Bongo died, a move that angered the
Bongo family and opened the split with Ali Bongo. Mba Obame
is Fang from the Wolou Ntem region near the Cameroon border.


--------------
Opposition UPG - Pierre Mamboundou
--------------


7. (C) On the evening of July 16, Pierre Mamboundou, head of
the opposition Gabonese People,s Union (UPG) party, declared
his candidacy for presidency. Mamboundou has been the most
recognizable opponent to the Bongo regime since the early
90s. He placed second in the 1998 and 2005 presidential
elections behind Omar Bongo with 16.5 and 13.6 percent of the
vote respectively. His supporters continue to claim that he
was the real winner of the 2005 election and that Omar Bongo
rigged the results. Due to his long and often storied
opposition to Bongo, Mamboundou is the most well-recognized
and popular opposition candidate at this time. Mamboundou is
Punu from the Nyanga region.


8. (C) Mamboundou has attracted the support of a string of
opposition leaders who have declared their desire for a UPG
government led by Mamboundou. These individuals include
Pierre-Andre Kombila (RNB),Louis-Gaston Mayila (UPNR),
Seraphin Ndaot Rembogo (ANB) and Mboumb King (PSG). In
addition to support from a block of opposition leaders,
Gabonese press has highlighted Mamboundou,s ability to
garner support from Gabonese youth and Gabonese communities
living abroad in Africa and Europe.

--------------
Opposition UGDD - Zacharie Myboto
--------------


9. (C) Myboto spent 23 years in Omar Bongo,s government
before resigning in 2001. He declared his candidacy on July

20. After his resignation from the PDG he formed the
Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development (UGDD) and
gathered support with disenfranchised Gabonese who were
unhappy with the wealth distribution of the country. In
November 2005, Myboto ran as the UGDD presidential candidate
and came in third with less than 7 percent of the
presidential vote. Myboto is from the Nzebi ethnic group
which is the second largest ethnic group after the Fang.

--------------
Opposition RPG - Paul Mba Abessole
--------------


10. (C) Mba Abessole is the former Vice Prime Minister in
Charge of Human Rights in Omar Bongo,s government. He heads
the minority Rassembelent du Peuple Gabonais (RPG),a distant
second in terms of representation and financing to the
majority PDG. Mba Abessole is a former Catholic priest. He
has run as a presidential candidate twice, and joined the
government in 2005 as a coalition member. The RPG did well
in the April 2008 local elections, coming in second in many
races for the first time. Abessole is Fang from the Estuaire
region.

--------------

LIBREVILLE 00000349 003 OF 003


Declared Fringe Candidates
--------------


11. (U) Among the 23 contenders, several fringe candidates
have declared including: Luc Bengono Nsi, Jules Aristide
Bourdes Ogouliguende, Jean-Guy Kombeny, Bienvenu Mauro
Nguema, Georges Bruno Ngoussi, Jean, Ntoutoume, Albert Ondo
Ossa, Bernard Oyama, Michel Albert Leslie Teale, Marcel
Robert Tchoreret, Yvette Ngwevilo Rekangalt, Claudine Anna
Ayo, Silvere Obame Anguere, Bruno Ben Moubamba, Ernest Tomo,
Victoire Lasseni Duboze and Jean Ntoutoume-Ngoua have
declared their candidacy as independants.


12. (C) One fringe candidate, Pierre Moussavou, leader of
Social Democratic Party (PSD),remains the center of
controversy because he is the current Minister of Technical
Registration and Professional Training and like Ali Bongo,
remains part of the government despite his declaration to run
for the presidency. Embassy contacts tell us that he plans
to resign his position after school exams end prior to the
election. The PSD is a coalition member of the government.
REDDICK