OPPOSITION DENOUNCES CORRUPT ELECTORAL SYSTEM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000728

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM SNAR MR
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION DENOUNCES CORRUPT ELECTORAL SYSTEM

REF: NOUAKCHOTT 727

Classified By: AMBASSADOR MARK M. BOULWARE FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary: For opposition leaders Ahmed Ould Daddah
and Mohamed Ould Maouloud, the outcome of the November 8
senatorial elections is the living proof that Mohamed Ould
Abdel Aziz intends to squash all dissenting voices through
widespread electoral fraud and intimidation. According to
them, Mauritania is headed towards a Taya-like monolithical
state party system; however, they both agree that Taya was
more generous in allowing some space for the opposition to
express itself. For both Maouloud and Daddah, widespread
fraud in Mauritania's electoral system poses a dangerous
threat for democracy and democratic alternance. They called
on the U.S. to use its influence to promote dialogue in the
spirit of the Dakar Accords which it endorsed. End summary.

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MAOULOUD: AZIZ IS DESTROYING THE OPPOSITION
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2. (C) On November 10, PolOff met with Union des Forces du
Progres (UFP) President and influential opposition leader
Mohamed Ould Maouloud to inquire about the causes behind the
opposition's defeat. Maouloud said the opposition accepted
to participate in these elections as a signal to the majority
that they are willing to take part in the political process.
They also viewed the senatorial elections as a test to guage
the government's interest in engaging in dialogue and giving
the opposition some space for participation.


3. (C) The "testing the waters" strategy consisted in
presenting joint FNDD/RFD lists for only those places where
the opposition had a majority of municipal counselors and was
sure to win: Nouakchott, Boutilimit, Barkeoles and Aleg.
They did not field lists in any other electoral regions
because they feared they would not have a fair chance in the
electoral race and could not afford to waste resources and
energy. In Nouakchott, for example, Maouloud said the
FNDD/RFD felt confident they could win at least one seat
thanks to the proportional system. Note: Taya instituted a
proportional system in Nouakchott where there are three
senatorial seats and 63 municipal council members. The
purpose of this system was to ensure the opposition had at
least one seat in Nouakchott. According to this system, as
explained by Maouloud, a list gets a seat for every 21
council member votes. For example, if the majority gets 52
votes, and the minority 11, the majority gets two full seats
(21 21=42). The third seat is then given to whoever has the
majority of the votes, which would be the minority's 11 votes
against the majority's 10 remaining votes (52-42=10). End
note. With 17 APP, UFP and RFD council members, the
opposition thought they had a good chance at winning the
traditional third seat. Nevertheless, some of its council
members were allegedly "bought off" by the majority and voted
against their own parties.


4. (C) Aziz, according to Maouloud, is seeking to reproduce
Taya's monolithical state party system, which regroups the
"strong man's" clientele in a single party and allows small,
weak parties to exist to keep a semblance of democracy. The
only difference between Taya and Aziz, said Maouloud, is that
Taya made an effort to let the opposition have a minimum of
voices whereas Aziz wants to entirely squash the opposition.
"Even one single seat for the opposition is considered too
much of a concession," said Maouloud. Considerable financial
means and pressure were deployed by the majority to ensure
the opposition was thoroughly defeated. Maouloud stressed
that Aziz is managing the political system now in the same
way he did before the coup d'etat -- excluding the opposition
and curtailing its access to state-run media. The country is
rapidly moving towards a dictatorship, stated Maouloud. The
fight against corruption is a measure to remove those who no
longer advance Aziz's agenda in order to replace them with
new, more powerful "clients." It also serves as a
retribution method for opposition members.


5. (C) Aziz has established widespread corruption in the
electoral system with the help of rich and powerful Ouled

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Bisbaa tribesmen like Ould Ghadde, who has the monopoly of
basic food imports, as well as Bouamatou. The Ouled Bisbaa
business interests have the financial means to buy votes to
ensure their permanence in power. Maouloud said that the
Ouled Bisbaa are creating a monopoly by eliminating competing
businesses. He claims, for example, that the Somagaz
director was recently removed from his position because he
refused to take measures that would bankrupt Somagaz, a
parastatal, for the benefit of Bouamatou's new private gas
company.


6. (C) Maouloud told PolOff that widespread corruption in
the electoral system or what he calls "the mafioso electoral
system" poses a danger to Mauritanian national security as
drug cartels seeking to establish themselves in Mauritania
can now buy votes to ensure politicians involved in
drug-trafficking get elected. He asked the U.S. to open its
eyes to the new reality of drugs and politics in Mauritania
and the possibility of Mauritania becoming a narco-state down
the line. According to Maouloud, there are already many
government officials involved in trafficking networks.
PolOff responded that the government had deployed efforts to
apprehend cartel leaders such as Erick Walter M'Benga, who
was extradited to Mauritania from Senegal. Maouloud
challenged PolOff to research how many traffickers had been
released or escaped from prison versus those tried and
sentenced. He said he was highly skeptical M'Benga would be
judged. "It is likely he will escape, or get killed, or be
released; but he will never be judged," he stressed. "Drug
trafficking cases brought to Mauritania come here to die."


7. (C) Maouloud pointed out that the Mercure hotel,
property of SNIM, was recently sold to a Colombian who has
hotels in Senegal and Guinea Bissau. Maouloud said this
information is alarming as it points to the implantation of
regional drug-traffickers in Mauritania. In Maouloud's view,
Latin American business interests in Mauritania can only be
motivated by drug-trafficking. Comment: The sale of the
Mercure hotel to a Colombian businessman was published in the
press and many contacts have brought PolOff's attention to
the opaque nature of the sale and the true motivations behind
it. According to Embassy contact and opposition leader Abdel
Koudouss Abeidna, the buyer is a long-time associate of
M'Benga. PolOff has been unable to confirm this information.
End comment.


8. (C) Maouloud finished by calling on the U.S., as
guarantor of the Dakar Agreement, to hold Aziz's government
accountable for maintaining a healthy political dialogue in
the interest of long-term stability. "Aziz has not lived up
to his Dakar engagements," he said. His plans to
disenfranchise the opposition and to manipulate the electoral
system are the ultimate proof that he is not acting in good
faith. "All we want is to ensure that there is a state of
law and that democratic alternance is guaranteed," said
Maouloud.

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WORSE THAN TAYA
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9. (C) On November 11, PolOff met with Rassemblement des
Forces Democratiques (RFD) President Ahmed Ould Daddah, who
stated that the senatorial elections had limited importance
for his party as, with only six senators out of 56, the RFD
was already under-represented in the senate. Note: The RFD
lost one senator in this election and now only has five. End
note. Daddah said these elections allowed him to understand
that the regime is becoming increasingly totalitarian and
intolerant of the opposition as it is seeking through
electoral fraud to strip the opposition of its already
limited voices. "Aziz does not want any voice to express
itself other than his," intimated Daddah. "How can six
senators compete with his 56?"


10. (C) Daddah said that electoral fraud in Mauritania has
become increasingly widespread, systematic and sophisticated.
He stated that in Boutilimit, his hometown, advisors who had
been bribed to vote for Union Pour la Republique (UPR)
candidates were provided with a code and asked to vote by

NOUAKCHOTT 00000728 003 OF 003


writing that code on their ballot as proof that they had
honored their engagement. Note: In Mauritania, any sign
inside the voting square on the ballot is accepted. End
note. The extent of electoral fraud, he said, has pushed his
party to reconsider whether participation is better than
boycott. According to Daddah, the situation now is worse
than in 1992 under Taya as Taya allowed a space for the
opposition whereas that space is getting increasingly smaller
under Aziz. At the time, the RFD obtained 33 percent in the
elections.


11. (C) Daddah agrees with Maouloud that the country is
moving towards a state party system. When asked about his
role as leader of the democratic opposition, a dejected
Daddah responded he was thinking about stepping down. He
declared himself disappointed at Assembly President (and
former opposition party presidential candidate) Messaoud Ould
Boulkheir's opening speech, which he thought was too
positive. Comment: In his controversial speech at the
opening of the Assembly's ordinary session, Boulkheir
recognized Aziz's win and called for dialogue between the
majority and the opposition. He also endorsed Aziz's fight
against corruption. End comment. Daddah stated the RFD's
position is less conciliatory as it refuses to recognize the
results of the election and the legitimacy of the government.
Nevertheless, in a seemingly contradictory position, Daddah
said he would continue working with the FNDD as he thought
the opposition needed to remain united.


12. (C) According to Daddah, the U.S.'s and Europe's
approach to counter-terrorism is mistaken. He stated the
Europeans and Americans had put the military in power because
they thought it would help security. He declared "he does
not feel that U.S. policy in Mauritania lives up to President
Obama's democratic aspirations." Comment: Daddah, like many
opposition leaders, holds a grudge agains the U.S. for
recognizing Aziz's win. Nevertheless, in his statements, he
seems to forget that he plotted with Aziz to block democratic
institutions in Mauritania and precipitate the coup d'etat
against Abdallahi and that it took him months to place
himself on the side of those who unequivocally rejected the
coup. End comment.

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COMMENT
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13. (C) The blame game between the opposition and the
majority continues. The majority is set on proving that the
opposition is a small group of unreasonable individuals who
intend to obstruct the political process. For the
opposition, the majority is only interested in dialogue aimed
at bringing dissenting voices under the fold. They think
that Aziz's motto is "those who are not with me, are against
me and will be eliminated." Boulkheir's decision to accept
Aziz' win and engage in dialogue is a powerful gesture. The
ball is now on the majority's court. End comment.
BOULWARE