NIGER: DEMARCHE ON PRESIDENT TANDJA ON THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L NIAMEY 000381

SIPDIS

FOR AF ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON AND AF/W AMBASSADOR
KAEUPER FROM AMBASSADOR ALLEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI KDEM NG
SUBJECT: NIGER: DEMARCHE ON PRESIDENT TANDJA ON THE
POLITICAL CLIMATE

REF: A. ALLEN-KAEUPER EMAIL OF 05/27/2009

B. NIAMEY 378

C. NIAMEY 377

D. NIAMEY 376

E. NIAMEY 375

F. NIAMEY 357

G. NIAMEY 344

Classified By: AMBASSADOR BERNADETTE M. ALLEN, REASON: 1.4(d)


1. (C) Summary. On Wednesday, May 27 at 11h00, I demarched
Government of Niger (GON) President Mamadou Tandja as
outlined (ref a). He listened intently to the points
delivered in favor of democracy and stability, but remained
steadfast in his intent to proceed with a referendum to the
people. He was not moved by the Constitutional Court opinion
(ref d) that proceeding with a referendum on a new
constitution would be illegal. He insisted that the people
should be the final arbiter as to whether they want to
continue with the current constitution or want a new one. He
stated he would leave office as required on December 22, if
the people decide to retain the current constitution, but
added that the only way to know the will of the people is to
vote on a referendum. He stated he found it necessary to
dissolve the National Assembly because its members have
refused to return to the national treasury raises in pay they
had voted for themselves, despite a Court "declaration not
opinion" that such an act was unconstitutional. He said
because the National Assembly had defied a binding
declaration, he determined it in the best interest of the
nation to dissolve the body. He intimated that the next
Presidential elections may not occur until 2012, if the
Nigerien people vote "yes" on a referendum for a new
Constitution. End summary.


2. (C) GON President Tandja listened intently to the points
delivered in favor of democracy and stability. Highlighting
the encouraging news about peace talks in the North, I
stressed that the current political discord, with counter
demonstrations between those for and those against both
&Tarzache8 and the prospect of a referendum, is
overshadowing that good news. I emphasized that Niger has
been viewed as an example of a successful democracy, that
regional and global leaders are looking to his leadership and
statesmanship to hold up the torch of democracy. I added
that without peace and stability, Niger faced the prospect of
losing all the gains made over the past decade. I also
emphasized that the Court had issued an opinion that moving
forward with a referendum would be illegal, thus I didn't
understand why he wished to proceed with a referendum. I
said he could easily quash all the political discord by
simply stating to the Nigerien people that he would step down
in December for the good of the nation, that he could
concurrently emphasize that he would be available as a
resource to the future leader of Niger and the nation.


3. (C) Tandja did not budge from his position to call for a
referendum and asked whether I had seen on television and at
public ceremonies all the people across Niger who want him to
stay the course. He asked whether I had seen all the people
shouting "Tarzarche" (Hausa language word for "let it
continue") at the sites of his numerous initiatives, citing
as an example the May 18 stonelaying ceremony for a dry port
in the region of Dosso. I responded that I did see crowds,
but I saw the crowds only as witnesses to the launch of
important projects.


4. (C) In reply to my remarks about the Court opinion, Tandja
stated that &the opinion8 issued was in response to the
request of a small group of National Assembly members, that
it was not an opinion directed at the Presidency, since he
had not raised the matter with the Court. He said his legal
advisors informed him that he's not bound by the Court's
opinion. He said he met with Court members just prior to
our meeting, that the GON,s views on the Court opinion will
soon be shared with the Nigerien people. He said everything
he is doing is in accord with the constitution and democratic
principles. He insisted that he will go forward with a
referendum because the people deserve the opportunity to
decide whether they want to keep the current Constitution or
want a new one. He said if the people vote "no" on a
referendum for a new constitution, the current timetable for
the Presidential election will be unchanged and he,ll step
down on December 22 with a clear conscience because he will
know he gave the people a voice. He said if the people vote
"yes" on a referendum for a new constitution, then he will
remain as President for a &three-year transitional period8
while a new constitution is being drafted with a view to a
new Presidential election in 2012. He said he won,t leave

the country in the hands of just anyone, that he needs to
leave office with a clear conscience that he has left the
people of Niger in good hands and that the wealth from the
nation's natural resources (oil, uranium, etc.) benefits the
Nigerien people.


5. (C) I reiterated that the current friction between
political parties, within civil society and labor unions, as
a result of &Tazarche8 is paving a path of instability, the
very same instability he many times has stated caused
Niger,s slow economic progress the decade prior to his
having assumed the Presidency. I stated that everyone knows
he initiated several important projects, that the Nigerien
people will remember the initiatives were launched under his
tenure. I added I didn't see how his moving on equated with
the end of those projects. I said I hoped he would leave the
future generations of Nigeriens a legacy of stability, good
governance and strong democratic institutions.


6. (C) Tandja opined that he wished certain ambassadors
accredited to Niger and delegations from regional
organizations would spend more time informing their
governments and leadership, respectively, that the crux of
the matter is that the people of Niger are split on whether
they want to keep the current constitution or whether they
want a new one. He said Niger cannot remain the only
semi-Presidential state among 53 states on the African
continent, caught between a National Assembly, a Prime
Minister and a locked-constitution with no room to maneuver.
He said the only way to resolve the matter is for the people
to vote on a referendum. He stated that there is an
opposition during every election period, that it,s expected
in a democracy. He then spoke about how he has lived among
the people, that until he took office and launched several
initiatives, the Republic of Niger was the last on the United
Nations Human Development Index. He said he has helped raise
the RON up from the bottom rung. He described the troubled
period before his election in 1999, and remarked that a
number of foreign assistance agencies, citing as an example
USAID, "closed shop and abandoned the people of Niger." He
said Nigeriens, under his guidance, began the work to lift
themselves up before the return of some donor partners.


7. (U) When I asked about the National Assembly and the
current constitution,s requirement that elections be held
within a 45-90 day window, he acknowledged that the timetable
for legislative elections will not remain the same as
provided previously by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (CENI) to donor partners. He said the 45-90 day
window means that legislative elections will be held in July
or August, regardless of what happens with the vote on the
referendum. He suggested that the CENI will likely schedule
the referendum before the end of July and stated (as had the
Foreign Minister in a prior meeting with the diplomatic corps
- see ref g) that observers would be welcome.


ALLEN