MAURITANIAN ELECTION CHRONICLES FOR JULY 6-7 --

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000440 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM MR SUBJECT: MAURITANIAN ELECTION CHRONICLES FOR JULY 6-7 -- THE RACE BEGINS REF: NOUAKCHOTT 358 NOUAKCHOTT 00000440 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Mark M. Boulware for reasons 1.4 (b and d) C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (Changed paragraph classification) ¶1. (C) Electoral campaign kicks off (again): Almost overnight, Nouakchott has become a tent city with hundreds of "khaimas" erected one next to the other in honor of the main presidential candidates. Compared to the dull, one-man campaign leading to the canceled June 6 elections, this presidential race is alive and thriving with competition. Ahmed Ould Daddah, Ely Ould Mohamed Vall and Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz are the most visible candidates, with scores of tents, banners, and posters all over the city. PolOff went for a drive around town late in the evening of July 5 and saw traffic jams and hundreds of people attending open air concerts sponsored by their favorite candidate or gathered under tents blasting campaign music. The Daddah tents seemed particularly animated with larger gatherings of supporters. The other candidates, including FNDD's Messaoud Ould Boulkheir, were almost invisible. ¶2. (U) Unofficial daily poll favors Daddah and Aziz: According to an unofficial poll published by Website Cridem.org on July 7, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz would win the first tour with 22% of the votes, closely followed by Ould Daddah with 21%. Ould Boulkheir and Ely Vall would be, respectively, the third and fourth runners up with 16% and 13% of the votes. According to Cridem, Aziz is definitely a favorite but needs to tone down his aggressive rhetoric, which is inconsistent with his message of reform. Ould Daddah's pact with Boulkheir to support each other on the second tour gives him a clear advantage, if Boulkheir lives by his commitment. Cridem thinks that Ould Boulkheir, deeply appreciated of Mauritanians, could draw a considerable percentage. As for Ely, Cridem reminds its readers that he "knows the secrets of how to win an election." Cridem warns of a potential Ouled Bisbaa alliance -- Aziz and Ely could indeed join forces during the second tour if the tribe succeeds in making the cousins kiss and make up. Cridem bases this poll on media reports and political analysis and warns that the situation can change from day to day. ¶3. (U) MBareck drops from the race: Presidential candidate Sghair Ould MBareck announced on July 6 he was withdrawing his candidacy to support Aziz. Rumor has it that MBareck, a Haratine, was a candidate financed and launched by Aziz to give credibility to the June 6 election, which was boycotted by the opposition (reftel). ¶4. (U) HAPA meets with candidate representatives: The High Authority of the Press and the Audiovisual (HAPA) met with presidential candidate representatives on July 5 to review media coverage of the electoral campaign. HAPA reassured candidates about its commitment to providing all candidates with equal media access. ¶5. (U) Boulkheir claims government officials campaign for Aziz: Presidential candidate Boulkheir accused the Mauritanian Ambassador to Bamako of campaigning for Aziz in Mali. He stated other Ambassadors appointed by Aziz and senior military officials have been actively campaigning on behalf of Aziz in Mauritania and abroad. ¶6. (U) Aziz threatens his opponents: In a recent speech, Aziz stated he would show proof of Boulkheir and Daddah's corrupt practices in an upcoming political rally in Nouakchott. He also accused the FNDD of conspiring with Zionist organizations to tarnish the image of the Mauritanian military, which he will also demonstrate at the Nouakchott rally. ¶7. (U) Aziz encourages the military to disregard election results: In a political rally in Atar, Aziz stated that "the military is on the people's side and will never let anybody dilapidate the riches of the people, whatever the consequences." He went further by stating, "we sacrificed ourselves in 2005 to end a totalitarian government, we sacrificed again in 2008 to stop a government that was dragging the country to its ruin and we are willing to sacrifice once again to stop these criminals from returning NOUAKCHOTT 00000440 002.2 OF 002 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (Changed paragraph classification) to power. For the longest time, the country was held hostage to a minority that controlled the resources; they want to return to power but we will not let them, the people won't accept it and the military won't accept it. They want to return to their luxurious lifestyle but, the day following August 6, we did not receive any aid from abroad; and we distributed the State's money to its legitimate owners: the Mauritanian people." ¶8. (U) Aziz gives 15 million UM (55,000 USD) to institutions: Aziz announced in a recent political rally in Akjoujt that he will donate 10 million UM to the city of Akjoujt, 3 million UM to the regional hospital and 2 million UM to youth associations. HANKINS