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DE RUEHNK #0812/01 1811259
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R 301259Z JUN 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0297
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0343
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 0495
RUEHBAD/AMCONSUL PERTH 0307
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0251

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000812 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR EAID KPAO MR
SUBJECT: BROAD AGREEMENT -- REFERENDUM "FREE AND 
FAIR"...AND FAR FROM PERFECT 
 
REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 784 
     ¶B. NOUAKCHOTT 791 
 
Classified By: Amb. Joseph LeBaron, Reasons 1.4(b)(d) 
 
-------------- 
(C) Key Points 
-------------- 
 
-- Local UN, EU, Western Embassy and National Democratic 
Institute (NDI) representatives have agreed that while there 
were several procedural lapses, the elections were well 
organized and free from fraud. 
 
-- The UN Election Assessment Team told Ambassador they were 
"satisfied with the referendum process and would recommend 
that the UN continue its engagement in the transition towards 
future elections." 
 
-- In explaining the extraordinary election results, EU 
Assessment Team reps said "this was a no choice 
referendum...designed to limit the powers of the president 
and continue the process of change...there wasn't really 
anything to vote against,"  adding that "usually in Africa a 
referendum such as this is designed to enhance the power of 
the presidency, not diminish it." 
 
-- Partners' recommendations for the coming elections 
included: 
 
      -- Reopening of the voter lists before November's 
municipal and legislative elections to allow additional 
Mauritanians to register; 
 
      -- Enhancing the role of civil society in the electoral 
process, including in future election observations, to ensure 
their "buy-in" to the process; 
 
      -- Improving the legal framework for resolving 
electoral disputes and educating political parties and civil 
society on these procedures; 
 
      -- Providing more intensive training of poll workers 
and issuing clearer orders to security forces at polling 
sites; and 
 
      -- Ensuring the neutrality of the government in the 
coming political campaigns. 
 
------------ 
(C) Comments 
------------ 
 
-- Ambassador intends to give junta-leader Fal and the 
Transitional Government a couple of weeks to bask in the 
domestic and international praise they are receiving for a 
successful referendum. 
 
-- After that, he will seek an appointment with Fal to lay 
out clearly what we think must be fixed in order to have free 
and fair parliamentary and presidential elections.  Much more 
will be at stake in those elections, and the political 
parties and the mass public will be much less forgiving of 
"procedural lapses" in those elections.  Fal, the Military 
Council, and the Transitional Government need to plan for 
that. 
 
-- As for the referendum, Embassy believes it was free from 
fraud and that it gave voters a truly democratic opportunity. 
 The Europeans, the AU, the Arab League, and others in the 
international community have arrived at the same conclusion. 
 
-- As important as the international reaction, the 
Mauritanians themselves have readily accepted the results, 
with virtually every public figure praising both the process 
and the vote. 
 
-- We believe the extraordinary 97% yes vote can be 
attributable to several factors: the lack of an organized 
"no" campaign, the strong government-led "yes" campaign, and 
ultimately, the very nature of the referendum itself, which 
presented little reason to vote no -- except, perhaps, to 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000812  002 OF 003 
 
 
protest the very transition process itself.  But that process 
has received widespread public support from its beginning. 
 
End Key Points and Comments. 
 
¶1. (C) Embassy staff, including the Ambassador, DCM and 
PolOff, have met repeatedly with representatives from the UN, 
EU, Western Embassies and the National Democratic Institute 
(NDI) to exchange views on last Sunday's referendum vote. 
All partners agree that while there were several procedural 
lapses, the elections were well organized and free from fraud. 
 
------------------ 
THE EUROPEAN UNION 
------------------ 
 
¶2. (C) Ambassador met with the EU Assessment Team on June 28 
to discuss the EU's referendum findings.  While noting she 
was speaking personally, EU contractor Raphaelle Mathey 
explained that the "referendum logistics were very good and 
the Ministry of Interior (which ran the elections) was well 
organized and strong."  She added that "there were lots of 
little procedural problems, but no big ones," though she 
cautioned that "these little problems must be resolved before 
the more difficult November municipal elections, in order for 
those elections to be similarly successful." 
 
¶3. (C) In response to Ambassador's question of how support 
for the referendum could have been so high, Mathey said "this 
was a no choice referendum."  "The referendum was designed to 
limit the powers of the president and continue the process of 
change," she explained, adding that "there wasn't really 
anything to vote against."  EU contractor Vincent De Herdt 
added that "usually in Africa a referendum such as this is 
designed to enhance the power of the presidency, not diminish 
it." 
 
¶4. (C) Mathey compared this election to the referendum in 
Tajikistan in 1999.  "In '99 we had the country coming 
together after years of civil war," Mathey said, explaining 
that "the vote was the only way to get out of the mess of 
war, and we saw turnout around 97% and support at 84%."  "It 
was the only way forward, and that is exactly what we have 
here...it was a plebiscite for change." 
 
¶5. (C) Mathey also added that the strong government-led 
campaign certainly influenced the turnout and levels of 
support.  "When you have the prime minister publicly saying 
that to vote yes is to be patriotic, that sets the political 
environment and 97% support isn't much of a surprise," Mathey 
said. 
 
¶6. (C) The team's report will provide several recommendations 
for the coming elections, including making unused ballots an 
accountable item, improving the legal framework for resolving 
electoral disputes and educating political parties and civil 
society on these procedures, publishing the electoral results 
for each polling station so observers' findings can be 
confirmed against the official figures, and ensuring the 
neutrality of the government. 
 
¶7. (U) Later that afternoon, the Austrians in their capacity 
as the current president of the EU issued a declaration on 
the referendum stating that "the European Union welcomes the 
proper conduct and results of the referendum," which "marks 
an important step towards democracy and towards parliamentary 
and municipal elections in November 2006 and presidential 
elections in 2007."  The statement goes on to praise the 
organization and supervision of the referendum, "despite some 
shortcomings recorded by the observer missions." 
 
-------------- 
UNITED NATIONS 
-------------- 
 
¶8. (C) The UN Election Assessment Team on June 29 provided 
Ambassador an out-brief of their ten day assessment mission 
to Mauritania.  Chief of the delegation Valerie De Campos 
Vello said their team was "satisfied with the referendum 
process and would recommend that the UN continue its 
engagement in the transition towards future elections." 
De Campos said "we all agree the process was successful...and 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000812  003 OF 003 
 
 
the referendum was transparent," adding "especially when you 
consider that this was the first time they used a single 
ballot." 
 
¶9. (C) The referendum problems listed by the team included 
the presence of the military inside the polling stations, the 
government's decision not to allow civil society to observe 
the elections, and inconsistent ballot tabulating procedures. 
 
 
¶10. (C) The team said the two most needed changes were the 
reopening of the voter lists before the November elections 
(to allow additional Mauritanians to vote), and the inclusion 
of civil society in the electoral process, including in 
future election observations (to ensure the "buy-in" of civil 
society).  The team said the Inter-Ministerial Committee on 
the Democratic Processes (which includes the Secretary 
General of the Presidency and the Ministers of Justice, 
Interior, and Foreign Affairs) responded "coldly" to both 
recommendations, citing the problems with reopening the voter 
lists during Mauritania's holiday and harvest season, and the 
trouble of having civil society members observing the 
elections who had not received proper training.  De Campos 
said "the committee didn't say no, but they were very 
negative." 
 
¶11. (C) The team did receive positive feedback from the 
committee on the status of legislation for public financing 
of political parties and the 20% quota for female political 
participation.  According to the UN team, the Council of 
Ministers will take up these two issues at their next weekly 
meeting scheduled for July 5. 
 
¶12. (C) The UN team will report their findings to the UN 
Under Secretary for Political Affairs.  The Under Secretary 
is expected to send a letter to the Transitional Government 
confirming continued UN cooperation, and encouraging the 
Mauritanians to continue to work with the UN Electoral 
Assistance Team in strengthening the electoral process. 
 
----------------------- 
ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVES 
----------------------- 
 
¶13. (C) NDI's Senior Program Officer Gregory Houel told 
PolOff that their observation missions "revealed the same 
successes and shortcomings as the other missions," adding 
that "we noted many small problems, but nothing that would 
keep us from considering these elections free and fair." 
"The two biggest problems we witnessed were the involvement 
of the military in the process and the role of the electoral 
commission representatives, which instead of overseeing the 
process and intervening when necessary, were 
indistinguishable from the other poll workers."  Houel also 
emphasized the need for political party and civil society 
representatives to observe the municipal, legislative and 
presidential elections, saying "NDI will focus on observer 
training for these groups over the coming months." 
 
¶14. (C) Other organizations which had observation missions 
included the African Union, the Arab League, and the 
International Francophone Organization (OIF).  All three 
reached similar conclusions, describing the referendum as 
"free," "democratic," "effective," and "transparent." 
LeBaron