LIBERIA: UNITY PARTY SETBACK IN BY-ELECTION FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONROVIA 000169 E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID CASC LI SUBJECT: LIBERIA: UNITY PARTY SETBACK IN BY-ELECTION FOR SENATOR Classified By: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield for Reasons 1.4 (b) a nd (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In a severe setback for President Sirleaf's Unity Party, its candidate, Liberia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Conmany Wesseh, lost a senatorial by-election run-off in River Gee County to Nathaniel Williams (Liberia Destiny Party),a River Gee Senator during the Taylor regime. Wesseh's loss indicates a growing public perception that the Unity Party is full of "big city" people who take advantage of poor rural farmers for their own gain. There were accusations on both sides of unethical campaign tactics. Notably, Williams campaigned in villages with AmCit missionaries whom he portrayed as potential investors. Overall, the National Elections Commission (NEC) did an excellent job independently managing this by-election, thanks in part to International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) training through USAID. Post sent observers to both the February 10 first round elections, and the February 24 run-off. End Summary. UN PERM REP LOSES TO FORMER SENATOR -------------- ¶2. (U) The NEC announced the official results February 26 of the February 24 run-off in the River Gee County by-election to replace the late Senator Isaac Jackson. Former Taylor-era River Gee Senator and Liberia Destiny Party candidate J. Nathaniel Williams won the race with 3,498 votes (52.8%). Liberia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Unity Party Candidate Conmany Wesseh received 3,123 votes (47.2%). ¶3. (C) Both candidates ran a hard and sometimes negative campaign. Williams campaigned with the message that he better represented the poor rural farmers of River Gee than the elitist, intellectual Wesseh who left the county for the bright lights and big city of Monrovia. (Williams spent 18 years himself in the United States in Washington, DC and Minnesota.) Williams' campaigners convinced villagers that the spirits were backing Williams. Williams falsely claimed that Wesseh was rejected by the United Nations as a Permanent Representative because he was corrupt. Wesseh countered that he had presented his credentials in New York but ran for Senator instead because he sincerely wanted to help the development of his native county. Wesseh attempted to convince voters that Williams was illiterate (in a meeting with Emboff, Williams did appear barely literate) and would not be able to represent River Gee in the Senate. President Sirleaf visited River Gee prior to both rounds in support of Wesseh, and the Ministry of Public Works built a bridge in River Gee (the only completed bridge this dry season of the 27 planned bridges.) There were accusations that Wesseh was giving out rice for votes, but there has been no confirmation of that, and the story may have been disinformation. AMCIT MISSIONARIES POSSIBLY CAMPAIGNING WITH WILLIAMS -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) However, one William campaign tactic resulted in Embassy involvement. Following the first round February 10, Minister of Justice Philip A.Z. Banks informed the Embassy that two "Caucasian" missionaries with the West Africa Children's Support Network (WACSN) were in River Gee and were being brought to villages and presented as American investors who will bring investment to the county if Williams is elected. The Minister's call came after Wesseh lodged a formal complaint with NEC and MOJ that these AmCits were interfering in the campaign. Banks warned that the Americans would be arrested if the MOJ determined the missionaries were violating Liberian law by engaging in a local election, and asked the Embassy to contact the missionaries to ask them to desist. (Note: Embassy observers noted a WACSN vehicle apparently taking voters to the polls, but did not note the presence of any white missionaries. End Note.) ¶5. (C) Treating the matter as a Welfare/Whereabouts case, Consul contacted WACSN head Maria Luyken to convey the Minister's message. Luyken denied that the missionaries were involved with the campaign. However, when PolOff, as one of the Embassy's observers, called on Williams on February 25, Luyken was present and said WACSN and all of its pastors supported the "holy" activities of Nathaniel Williams and therefore agreed to travel with him around River Gee County as he visited villages. She brought two AmCit female volunteers (both 21-year-old single females) to live in Williams' mud house in Fishtown for six months. Williams admitted to PolOff he took the young women around to River Gee communities to tell people in the Grebo vernacular that "American investors like these will come if you vote for me," but Luyken maintains the women did no campaigning themselves and have never been interested in politics. In the end, while the Liberia National Police gave the women a formal warning that they would be arrested if they continued to attend campaign events with Williams, the two were not arrested. ¶6. (C) WACSN is a network of approximately 1,000 evangelical pastors from the United States and Liberia that supposedly supports charitable activities in Liberia. The organization, however, has been suspected of fraud and was shut down as an adoption agency in Liberia January 9. It is not clear whether WACSN's active support of Williams was an attempt to embarrass Sirleaf for the GOL decision to shut down the adoption agency. ELECTION FREE AND FAIR -------------- ¶7. (U) The NEC did a good job of managing this election independently. Emboffs observed 33 out of the 58 polling stations and found the process in both rounds ran smoothly and transparently everywhere. All NEC officials were well-trained thanks in part to the USAID-funded training of poll workers through IFES. The Liberia National Police was present at all stations to provide security. UNMIL support was limited to financial and some transportation (six polling areas were reachable only by helicopter). One man was arrested in Fishtown for attempting to use another man's voter registration card (he was caught by NEC's polling station ID-checker). Neither one of the two parties made any complaint as to how the election was handled. UNMIL and local NGOs observing the election also agreed it was free and fair. Voter turnout was only 31.1%, but the NEC advised us that many River Gee voters have permanently migrated to Monrovia and will probably register there for the 2011 Presidential Election. ¶8. (SBU) The only serious misfeasance by a GOL official we observed was that River Gee Elections Magistrate Gbaye Sylenyentu, the highest-ranking NEC official in River Gee County, pulled his pickup off to the side of the road and drank palm wine at about 11:30 in the morning. Emboffs passed him again in the same spot about one hour later and he was still drinking, and clearly under the influence. Emboffs informed Deputy NEC Chairman Elizabeth Nelson, who was in town for the election, and she severely reprimanded Sylenyentu. His case will be dealt with at NEC headquarters in Monrovia in the near future. WHAT THIS LOSS MEANS FOR UNITY PARTY -------------- ¶9. (C) Chairman of the Unity Party Dr. Charles Clarke told PolOff February 26 the party will rethink its entire outreach strategy following Wesseh's loss. He said that Wesseh faced an uphill battle to win because Williams was regarded as "a founding elder of River Gee." Even President Sirleaf's visit to the county and an increased emphasis on development projects there was not enough to gain the majority of the votes. Clarke called the people of River Gee "ignorant" for choosing an uneducated local over someone who could really improve their lives. He acknowledged, however, that Unity Party must do a better job of taking local preferences into account and selecting electable candidates in the future. (Note: This seemed to be a reference to the local Unity Party's preferred candidate of Jonathan Boy Charles Sogbie. When he was bumped off the Unity Party ticket by Wesseh, he ran independently and placed a close third in the first round. Some analysts believe he could have beaten Williams because he had better ties to River Gee than Wesseh. End Note.) ¶10. (C) Wesseh's own future is not clear. In anticipation of a Wesseh victory, President Sirleaf asked UNHCR Africa director Marjon Kamara to take on the UN PermRep position in New York and Kamara accepted. We understand that Kamara was Sirleaf's first choice to replace Nathaniel Barnes, but Kamara declined, so Sirleaf turned to a reluctant Wesseh. This time, Kamara has already given her resignation to UNHCR, and it is doubtful Sirleaf will now turn back to Wesseh. Wesseh told us he would meet with Sirleaf on March 2, and would have a better idea of his future after that meeting. COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) Despite the results, the Unity Party remains the strongest party at the present time and its influence continues to grow. However, Wesseh's loss demonstrates the greatest weakness of the party -- the perception among rural voters that it is filled with Sirleaf cronies there to enrich themselves. It is unfortunate that Wesseh fell out of touch with his native remote, rural River Gee and could not connect with the local Unity Party machine and the voters in any meaningful way, despite all he had to offer. His loss has already made the Unity Party rethink how to reach out to rural and uneducated people at their level. Overall, NEC did a superb job running this election and it continues to be one of the cleanest and best-managed GOL entities. USAID's money was well spent on the IFES program, but NEC will need continuing financial assistance and training in preparation for the 2011 Presidential and Legislative elections. We will continue to monitor the welfare of the two young AmCit volunteers living in Williams' compound. THOMAS-GREENFIELD