"NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON DEMOCRACY" RESULTS APPROVED

C O N F I D E N T I A L NOUAKCHOTT 000031 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL MR SUBJECT: "NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON DEMOCRACY" RESULTS APPROVED BY NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND SENATE REF: NOUAKCHOTT 16 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) On January 9 the junta-designated "Prime Minister" Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf presided over a special session at the National Assembly where the final report of the "National Dialogue on Democracy" was officially approved. Seventy of the 95 parliamentarians were present, with 63 members approving the final report, 6 members abstaining, and 1 member opposing (a member from Ahmed Ould Daddah's RFD party). The Senate also approved the final report in a separate session. ¶2. (SBU) In his speech to the National Assembly, Laghdaf praised the "National Dialogue on Democracy," citing the diversity of participants and the atmosphere of "liberty and tolerance" that surrounded the discussions. He then embarked on a long-winded summary of the various recommendations and proposals put forth during the "dialogue," particularly with respect to organizing elections and defining the electoral calendar. He mentioned the proposed dates of May 30 and June 13 for the first and second rounds of presidential elections, but did not commit to these dates. Only at the end of his speech did he finally put forth the following three points as the "road map" for upcoming elections: - Establish a "credible" national electoral commission. - Determine eligibility requirements for presidential candidates. - Organize "free and transparent" presidential elections within six months. He offered no further details on these points, saying only that he was submitting them to parliamentarians for their "consideration and approval." ¶3. (C) Comment: The National Assembly and Senate approvals for the "National Dialogue" were largely a rubber-stamp affair, given that pro-coup Parliamentarians have a majority in both the National Assembly and Senate. Because the final recommendations of the "National Dialogue" were non-binding and vague to begin with (Reftel),the High State Council had a free hand to draw whatever conclusions it wanted from the consultations. Further modifications to the "road map" proposed by Laghdaf are equally likely, if they serve the HSC's best interests. End comment. HANKINS