GABON: WHO'S WHO OF THE FRONT-RUNNING

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