US embassy cable - 05DJIBOUTI274

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000274 
 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHER; 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, SOCI, DJ 
SUBJECT: 9TH POLITICAL PARTY CREATED IN DJIBOUTI 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Erinn C. Reed for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) On March 3rd, the Ministry of Interior gave official 
legal recognition to the ninth political party created in 
Djibouti. The Union for Supporters of Reform (UPR) is led by 
Ibrahim Chehem Daoud as President, Mohamed Abdillahi Aourah 
and Ali Houssein Ahmed as dual vice-presidents, and Adou Ali 
Adou as General Secretary. UPR held its inaugural congress 
March 5th, in which its leadership declared the party's 
support for President Ismail Omar Guelleh as candidate for 
the April 8th presidential elections. 
 
2. (C) Pol/Econ met with Ibrahim Chehem Daoud March 10th to 
discuss the party's political aspirations and agenda. Daoud 
said UPR's focus is on the daily needs of the country's 
population. While UPR has no presidential aspirations for the 
time being, Daoud said the party's main priority is the 
election of Regional Governing Councils for the districts and 
future legislative elections. If the party has the financial 
means to submit a list for the regional elections, it will, 
otherwise it will join a coalition of other parties. He 
commented political parties in Djibouti are too far from the 
population and are too disconnected to know the real needs of 
the people. Daoud said it was pure coincidence that his party 
was legalized on the eve of Presidential elections. He added 
the party fully supports a second mandate for President 
Guelleh because the first six years of Guelleh's tenure have 
seen political stability, which is a necessity for growth. 
Daoud said no other candidate could do more than Guelleh has 
done. 
 
3. (C) Regarding the opposition, Daoud said he respected, but 
did not understand the decision to boycott. He commented that 
after the loss of Ahmed Dini, the leader of the opposition 
party Alliance for Republican Development (ARD) and the 
opposition umbrella coalition Union for Democratic Alternance 
(UAD), the opposition has not been able to find a leader. 
Daoud said the boycott would not accomplish the opposition's 
goal of ousting Guelleh, but rather ensure his re-election. 
He added his opinion that even if the opposition had a 
candidate, Guelleh would win. 
 
4. (C) Daoud's political involvement started with the 
foundation of the Djiboutian Federation for Human Rights, an 
exiled association out of Ethiopia, which was not legally 
recognized by the Djiboutian government at the time. He 
returned from exile in Ethiopia in 1996. In the early 1990's, 
Daoud was also a member of the political wing of the Front 
for Restoration of Unity and Democracy  (FRUD), which allied 
itself with the government after the signing of the 1994 
peace treaty ending the country's civil war. Daoud was a 
member of FRUD up to 2002, when he left because, in his view, 
the party did not adapt to change. Daoud said at that time he 
began the two-year process to create UPR in order to have a 
party that is motivated to change the status quo. Daoud comes 
from a political family - his father was a Minister and 
Member of Parliament during the colonial era and his uncle is 
Mohamed Daoud Chehem, President of the opposition party 
Djiboutian Party for Development (PDD). 
 
5. (C) Comment: While Daoud appears to have a serious 
interest in district politics, he does not have a zeal for 
national politics. Pol/Econ repeatedly asked about UPR's 
political program, or what it would like to see from a 
presidential candidate, but Daoud evaded the question and 
responded that UPR had no divergence from that of Guelleh. 
Daoud said he would pass the party's agenda for regional and 
legislative elections to Pol/Econ for her review. Embassy 
Economic Assistant commented that rumors were circulating 
regarding the impact UPR's creation would have on FRUD 
(Government aligned) and ARD (opposition), the two political 
parties made up of a majority of Afars. Economic Assistant 
said many are saying UPR could present a real alternative for 
members of ARD who do not agree with the opposition's boycott 
to vote. It may also attract members away from both parties. 
End Comment. 
RAGSDALE