US embassy cable - 04DJIBOUTI1384

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 001384 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, SCUL, DJ 
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION PARTIES DEMAND TRANSPARENCY FOR 2005 
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Erinn C. Reed for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) Summary: Recent developments in opposition party 
politics have led to the release of demands to the Government 
of Djibouti for transparency in the upcoming presidential 
election. Reiterating many of the points stated in their 
unanswered letter to the Government 21 May 2004, the four 
leaders of the opposition coalition parties released a joint 
press statement demanding certain measures to ensure 
transparency in the election. Among the demands are a 
reformation and publication of electoral lists to ensure that 
they reflect the actual population, establishment of a 
National Independent Electoral Commission composed to 
impartial voters, and equal access to public media during the 
campaign. End Summary. 
 
2. (U) The opposition coalition, Democratic Union for 
Alternance (UAD), published a joint press released signed by 
the leaders of the four parties demanding transparency 
measures be established to ensure a fair, democratic election 
in the upcoming presidential race, expected to be held April 
2005. UAD has repeatedly requested that the Government follow 
through on promises made in the 1992 constitution and 2001 
peace accord between the Government and the Armed faction of 
Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD) - now 
opposition party Republican Alliance for Democracy. Among 
these promises are decentralization elections to establish 
regional councils which have greater autonomy for each 
district, the creation of a special statute regarding 
Djibouti City - which has been separated from what is now 
Arta district, the establishment of a communication law 
allowing the opening of independent radio and television, as 
well as the repayment of fees submitted by candidates in the 
2003 legislative elections. 
 
3. (U) Along with these promises, the opposition also 
believes it is necessary to amend certain policies regarding 
elections.  The desired amendments include: 
- the overhaul of electoral lists to reflect the true 
population created by voting bureaus in the district that the 
list represents, 
- publication of the electoral lists, 
- the reformation of the National Independent Election 
Commission (CENI) to include a parity of opposition and 
government members and a leader which is agreeable to both 
sides - currently 80 percent of the CENI are government 
members, 
- an amendment to the current election law to state that each 
party must receive a copy of the announced results as tallied 
by the CENI, 
- abandonment of the appointment of voting station assessors 
by the political parties in the contest, 
- and the free and equal access for all parties to public 
media such as radio, TV and newspapers. 
Without these issues being resolved the opposition does not 
believe that the elections can be anything but entrenched in 
massive fraud and incapable of producing a guaranteed honest 
and credible election. 
 
4. (SBU)  In conversation with Souleiman Farah Lodon, 
vice-president of Movement for Democratic Renewal (MRD), 27 
October Poloff learned that the opposition may entertain the 
notion of boycotting the election if their demands are not 
met.  However, Lodon noted that no decision would be made 
without the consent of all four parties. He continued that 
the opposition would use the same method for choosing a 
single candidate to represent them in the election.  Poloff 
then inquired about the September announcement of Djiboutian 
Party for Development (PDD) President Mohamed Daoud Chehem's 
intention to represent his own party in the race for 
President.  Lodon replied that Chehem rescinded his candidacy 
in a press statement on 18 October. He continued that the 
three other opposition party leaders had called Chehem to 
account for breaking agreements of the coalition by making a 
unilateral decision. Lodon commented that they then asked 
Chehem whether he would be in the coalition or whether his 
party would separate. Shortly after, Chehem released a 
statement indicating, according to Lodon, that he would 
rescind his candidacy. 
 
5. (U) Chehem's press statement reads as follows: "Following 
the publication, in several international journals, of the 
announcement of my candidacy in the presidential election of 
2005, I have the honor of informing the other three parties 
of the Union for Democratic Alternance (UAD) that such a 
decision will be made only in conformity with the ways and 
customs of the Coordination, that is to say in a collegial 
manner. Consequently, I affirm that PDD remains still a party 
of the UAD. A division within itself will only profit the 
single party regime that mismanages the country." 
 
6. (C) Comment: Post has yet to verify whether Chehem has 
indeed withdrawn himself from the running. It is suspicious 
that Chehem's statement is phrased in such a way that it 
seems more like a clarification of support for coalition 
methods than a retraction. The process that Lodon described 
in which Chehem was told to make a decision between being in 
the coalition or not appears to have elements of coercion or 
intimidation to maintain a unified front. The candidacy, or 
non-candidacy, of Chehem does indicate that within the 
opposition there is a distinct difference in approach towards 
the election and a clear lack of coordination. End Comment. 
RAGSDALE