US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI352

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 000352 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, EAID, KDEM, DJ 
SUBJECT: RPP - RULING FOR 25 YEARS (AND COUNTING?) 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Erinn Reed for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY. A rally Thursday, March 4th celebrating 
the 25th anniversary of the Rassemblement Populaire pour 
le Progres (RPP), the ruling political party in Djibouti, 
marked the beginning of the campaign season for 
Presidential elections, scheduled for early spring 2005. 
Current President Ismail Omar Guelleh is already the 
favored candidate.  RPP's dominance in the political 
arena and the distinct lack of a real opponent highlight 
the fact that Djibouti's political system is only a 
multi-party system in spirit.  With the second-ever 
Presidential election on the horizon, Djibouti's system 
lacks transparency and a strong opposition. END SUMMARY. 
 
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN DJIBOUTI 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
2. (U) Djibouti has a population estimated at 600,000 
inhabitants from diverse ethnic backgrounds.  Somalis 
make up the majority of the population, followed by 
Afars and a minority of Arabs.  The population has 
ethnic, cultural and religious ties with Somalia, 
Ethiopia, Eritrea and Yemen.  A large number of 
French nationals are also resident in Djibouti, as 
well as Ethiopian and Somali migrants and refugees. 
 
3. (U) Djibouti gained its independence from France 
in 1977.  At that time, the government decided to 
keep a single political party in order to prevent 
disintegration and friction among tribal affiliations. 
The "Rassemblement Populaire pour le Progres" was born 
in March 1979.  Hassan Gouled Aptidon, the President 
of the Republic of Djibouti, was elected as the first 
president of RPP.  It soon became obvious that one 
clan, the Issas, were completely dominating the RPP 
leaving the remaining clans to be treated as second 
class citizens.  The situation became unbearable for 
the Afars, the second largest ethnic group, and they 
eventually formed an opposition party, the "Front 
pour la Restauration de l'Unite de Djibouti" (FRUD). 
The political climate became so tense that in 1991 
the situation culminated in civil war. 
 
4. (U) In 1994, a peace treaty was signed between 
the armed wing of the FRUD and the government (RPP). 
It resulted in the first political alliance bringing 
together the RPP and the FRUD.  In the meantime, 
President Aptidon had created a new constitution for 
Djibouti which was finalized in 1992.  The new 
constitution lifted the ban on political parties, 
allowing for a maximum of four parties during a 
transitional period of ten years.  Two more political 
parties were then formed and created an opposition. 
In September 2002, when the transitional period expired, 
four additional parties appeared.  (Comment: In order 
to be legal a new political party has to be registered 
with the Minister of Interior, who also has the power 
to deny registration. End Comment.)  By January 2003, 
eight parties, grouped in two coalitions, were 
represented in the legislative elections. 
 
RPP'S DAY IN THE SUN 
-------------------- 
5. (U) March 4, 2004 marked the 25th anniversary of 
the RPP, which coincided with its eighth 
congress.  The event lasted a full day, consisting 
of the election of the party president and the 
nomination of the Central Committee members, 
followed by festivities.  The Central Committee is 
made up of the heads of each district RPP chapter. 
Ismail Omar Guelleh, current President of Djibouti, 
was unanimously re-elected to another three-year 
term as president of the RPP. 
 
6. (U) In his inaugural speech, President Guelleh 
recounted the quarter-century journey of the RPP 
by stressing that it is the leader in the political 
arena, thanks to the efforts and courageous work 
of its members.  He added that the RPP made Djibouti a 
country open to the world, a country that 
accommodates various cultures.  Guelleh also mentioned 
that the RPP had brought people together by accepting 
their differences and only looking at their 
contributions.  Furthermore, Guelleh reminded everyone 
present that the world had become a global village 
and that Djiboutians should be prepared to listen, 
accept criticism and learn from it. 
 
7. (U) Guelleh renewed his support for providing 
adequate education and training to the youth, easy 
access to health for the entire population and 
advancing women's rights.  Guelleh recognized the 
need for assisting HIV/AIDS patients and their 
families, allocating 100 million Djiboutian francs 
(approx. US $570,000) to the cause.  Finally, Guelleh 
indicated that the RPP is committed to making numerous 
reforms in democracy and good governance, including 
holding regional elections in 2004.  He also committed 
the party to important development projects related 
to the fight against poverty. 
 
8. (U) The eighth congress of the RPP adopted several 
resolutions related to Somalia, the Palestinian 
Territories, Iraq and Sudan.  Regarding Somalia, the 
RPP renewed its call for unity, sovereignty, and 
territorial integrity.  The RPP is in favor of the 
creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem 
(Al-Qods) as the capital city.  Concerning Iraq, RPP 
affirmed its solidarity with the Iraqi people in their 
right to obtain their sovereignty and territorial 
integrity as quickly as possible.  Lastly, the RPP 
asserted its full support to the Sudan peace process 
led by IGAD. 
 
9. (U) The afternoon was devoted to festivities, 
which included songs and a relay race from historic 
Dikhil to Djibouti City. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
10. (C) The RPP is the most dominating political 
party in Djibouti.  The other seven parties have 
little political influence.  Critics say it seems 
they lack real agendas or concrete plans to fix the 
problems of Djibouti.  Political pluralism exists 
only in theory.  In reality, the single party system 
is still very much alive.  Some say that Djiboutians 
who are unhappy with the way things are would still 
vote RPP because the opposition would be worse, as 
it lacks a plan for the future.  Presidential 
elections are scheduled to be held in early spring 
2005.  Guelleh has been making numerous public 
appearances in the past few weeks, leading Post to 
believe that he has started down the campaign trail. 
Guelleh's snaring of U.S. aid and engagement will 
undoubtedly figure prominently into his campaign. 
END COMMENT. 
RAGSDALE