LIBERIA: CDC CONVENTION FAILS TO HEAL RIFT IN PARTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 000069 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID LI SUBJECT: LIBERIA: CDC CONVENTION FAILS TO HEAL RIFT IN PARTY REF: 2008 MONROVIA 377 Classified By: Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield for reasons 1.4 B and D. ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC),the largest opposition party in Liberia, has been fractured into two since April 2008 (reftel),with one faction supporting 2005 presidential candidate George Weah and the other against, arguing that the uneducated soccer star left Liberia for the States and is out of touch with his country. The pro-Weah faction, which is led by Geraldine Doe-Sheriff and still holds of majority of CDC members, used the occasion of Weah's first visit to Liberia in a year to hold a mid-term party convention January 4-6 and elect their supporters to all the leadership positions within the CDC. The National Elections Commission (NEC) resolved to ignore any results from the convention because the party's legitimate leadership, the anti-Weah faction led by Joshua Sackie, was not invited to attend. Instead, NEC Chairman James Fromayan said Weah's "undemocratic behavior" within the party raises serious questions about how democratic he would be if he ever actually won an election. Weah, who appeared to lack the charisma and conviction of a serious presidential candidate, told the Ambassador he remains interested in running for President under the CDC banner in the 2011 elections. END SUMMARY. CDC'S MOCK CONVENTION -------------- ¶2. (U) A leadership rift within the Congress of Democratic Change (CDC) party began last April when its Chairman Joshua Sackie said he thought the uneducated soccer star and 2005 presidential candidate George Weah was no longer fit to be the party's standard bearer, especially since he was not living in Liberia. A pro-Weah faction led by Geraldine Doe Sheriff allegedly forged a resignation letter from Sackie and took over the party de facto (reftel). The National Elections Commission (NEC) investigated the dispute and ruled that Sackie never officially resigned. The NEC determined it would continue to identify Sackie as the official CDC Chairman until the party held a convention -- per its own constitution -- and all CDC delegates formally voted on who should be in charge. (NOTE: CDC's constitution does not provide any other mechanism to remove a Chairman. END NOTE.) ¶3. (C) Weah came to Liberia during his winter break from studies at DeVry University in Florida to give the keynote address at a January 4-6 mid-term convention organized by his supporters within the party. The pro-Weah faction, however, refused to invite the anti-Weah faction whom NEC still recognizes as the legitimate leaders of the CDC. Not surprisingly, Doe-Sheriff and other Weah- supporters were elected to all party leadership positions. Weah compared himself to Barack Obama in his keynote address saying, "We share youthful energy for our cause, passion for our nations, love for our people, and a strong commitment to change." ¶4. (C) The NEC ruled the convention "illegitimate" and said it would not recognize the party election results. In retaliation, the pro-Weah CDC faction called NEC Chairman Fromayan a "Unity Party stooge" and vowed to boycott the 2011 election if he is still the Chairman. Fromayan, who says he has never been a member of the Unity Party, told PolOff he was disgusted that the nation's biggest opposition party had gotten caught up in a power struggle and lost sight of all the important issues. He said he was particularly concerned that if Weah could be so "undemocratic" in his party, then it raised serious questions about how democratic he would be if he ever really won an election. THE AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH WEAH -------------- ¶5. (C) Weah expressed his interest in running for President again in 2011 during a December 22 office call on the Ambassador. He insisted that he remains a resident of Liberia and is in the United States only temporarily, but said that he is not expected to graduate until 2010. Weah brought along the leadership of his faction of the party, including Doe-Sheriff, Secretary General Eugene Nagbe, and Deputy Secretary General Acarious Gray, whom he described as his "eyes and ears" on the ground in Liberia while he is in the United States. ¶6. (C) Weah was quick to criticize the Unity Party government, arguing that corruption had "never been worse" in Liberia. The Ambassador countered that there has always been corruption but Sirleaf's Government was the first one to take a hard stance against it. She said the press was reporting on specific corruption cases now because it is finally safe to do so. Weah gave no concrete ideas as to how he would tackle corruption. MONROVIA 00000069 002 OF 002 COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) If CDC remains the strongest opposition party and the population holds the Sirleaf Government to unrealistic expectations about the pace of development, Weah may score well in the 2011 election due to his name recognition. Weah may compare himself to Obama, but appears to us to lack the charisma and conviction of a presidential candidate. In his December 22 meeting with the Ambassador, he was reluctant to veer off his talking points and appeared to have no original solutions to propose for the challenges facing Liberia. When the Ambassador pressed him for clarification or elaboration on particular issues, he was often happy to let Doe-Sheriff, Nagbe, or Gray answer. Weah still commands a following of youth because of his star power and soccer prowess, but his absence from Liberia to study in Florida has made him increasingly disconnected from the issues affecting the daily lives of his would-be partisans. He has the support of a majority of the CDC's membership but his unwillingness to hold a legitimate election for the party's leadership positions calls into question his commitment to democracy. THOMAS-GREENFIELD