Niger: Police Detain Opposition Party President; FDD Holds

UNCLAS NIAMEY 000495 DEPT FOR AF/W AND AF/RSA PLS PASS TO USAID FOR AFR/W ACCRA ALSO FOR USAID/WA PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM SOCI PREL NG SUBJECT: Niger: Police Detain Opposition Party President; FDD Holds "Dead City" Strike in Niamey Ref: Niamey 00484 Opposition Leader Detained -------------- ¶1. (SBU) On June 30, police temporarily detained and questioned Mahamadou Issoufou, President of the Niger Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS),the main opposition party. Reports indicated that several hundred supporters of Issoufou assembled outside the gendarmerie headquarters where he was being detained, demanding his immediate release. After his release a couple of hours later, Issoufou told journalists that he was asked to confirm the pronouncements he made on June 27 following the dissolution of the Constitutional Court on June 26. Issoufou reiterated that the Front for the Defense of Democracy (FDD) made a statement in which it denounced President Tandja's decision to assume exceptional powers and that to dissolve the Constitutional Court was a violation of the Constitution. He further stated that the FDD had demanded the resignation of President Tandja and called defense and security forces to refrain from executing obviously unlawful orders as provided by the Constitution and the law. FDD Holds "Dead City" Strike in Niamey -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On July 1, the Front for the Defense of Democracy (FDD),a group of political parties, labor unions, and civil society organizations, held nationwide strikes in response to President Tandja's June 26 unilateral decision to provide himself exceptional powers to rule by decree and his subsequent dissolution of the Constitutional Court on June 29. The FDD opposes the President Tandja's plans for a constitutional referendum that would allow him to remain in power. According to various reports and mission observers, the public sector partially observed the strike and some private businesses closed. Many of the larger markets remained open, however, with police standing vigilant. Traffic seems to be slightly lighter than usual, but varies depending on the neighborhood. Local media reported that similar partial strikes took place in Zinder as well as several other cities. At mid-day, the strikes did not seem to have had the effect that the opposition expected. Allen