Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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09NIAMEY45 | 2009-01-30 13:13:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Niamey |
VZCZCXRO9261 RR RUEHMA RUEHPA DE RUEHNM #0045 0301313 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 301313Z JAN 09 FM AMEMBASSY NIAMEY TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4823 INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 3476 RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE |
UNCLAS NIAMEY 000045 |
1. (U) Summary: During the ongoing extraordinary session of the National Assembly that started on January 20, several majority party (Mouvement National pour la Societe de Developpement aka MNSD) deputies filed a motion of "no confidence" against the Government of Niger. On January 29, Niger's Minister of Environment and the Fight Against Desertification was replaced in a minor cabinet reshuffle. End Summary. 2. (U) On January 29, a group of 12 deputies from the majority party, the MNSD, issued a motion of "no confidence" against Prime Minister Seini Oumarou's cabinet. The text of the motion cites the Prime Minister's failure to deliver on various issues, such as the rising cost of living, widespread corruption, the independence of the judicial system, and breach of equality of citizens in dealing with legal cases. Most of the motion's drafters are thought to be supporters of former Prime Minister Hama Amadou, who has been in prison since June 28, 2008. By law, the motion should be examined 48 hours after its submission to the president of the National Assembly; therefore, debates are expected to commence on January 31. If a simple of majority of members of parliament vote for the motion, the Prime Minister and his cabinet should resign and a new cabinet be formed. 3. (SBU) In a "technical" cabinet reshuffle on January 29, the Minister of Environment and the Fight Against Desertification Mohamed Akotey was replaced by Issouf Baco. The new minister is President of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), a predominantly Tuareg party. Like Akotey, Baco is a Tuareg. The reasons for Akotey's removal are not known, but there was speculation that he had asked President Tandja to discharge him from office for "personal" reasons. 4. (SBU) Comment: The motion at the National Assembly occurs in the context of an ongoing power struggle within the MNSD. The deputies who support former PM Hama Amadou intend to discredit PM Oumarou by putting more pressure on him regarding the performance of his cabinet. In recent meetings, a portion of the Tillabery section of the MNSD, Hama and Oumarou's political party, declared that it had lost confidence in Oumarou. Media reports state that Hama's supporters have decided to use the motion as a way to express their views publicly on the situation within the MNSD and on issues of national importance, which may otherwise not have government media coverage due to restrictions on government radio and TV (the only media to cover the entire country). By law, debates on motions of "no confidence" must be covered in their entirety by both public radio and TV. 5. (SBU) Comment continued: In the current political context, with few Hama supporters within the National Assembly, it seems unlikely that the motion submitted by the 12 deputies will be passed. On the executive front, more changes may occur if the violations of Article 41 of the Constitution on the annual declaration of assets by the President and cabinet members, as observed recently by the Constitutional Court, were to be sanctioned. End comment. 6. Minimize considered. ALLEN |