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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 001144 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2016 
TAGS: PINR PREL PGOV PHUM EAID KPAO MR
SUBJECT: LEADING POLITICAL PARTY COALITION FALLS APART 
 
Classified By: CDA Steven Koutsis, Reasons 1.4(b)(d) 
 
----------- 
(C) Summary 
----------- 
 
-- On August 31, the Alliance for Justice and Democracy (AJD) 
announced that it had split from the Bloc For Change (BPC) 
political party coalition. 
 
-- The BPC was Mauritania's first political party coalition, 
and the only coalition with a clearly defined platform, 
namely, supporting the rights of Afro-Mauritanians. 
 
-- AJD president (an Afro-Mauritanian) told PolOff that 
"Mauritania is not yet ready for an Afro-Mauritanian 
president," and that he will run instead for a seat in the 
National Assembly. 
 
------------ 
(C) Comments 
------------ 
 
-- BPC's fate illustrates the ongoing struggle of political 
parties and coalitions as they fight to gain relevance in the 
unfamiliar territory of a democratic transition. 
 
-- It appears the main goal of the parties is to leverage 
their position in a coalition to strengthen their own hands. 
This only leads to mistrust rather than the building of 
consensus, and such break-ups are inevitable. 
 
-- Other coalitions, including the current frontrunner "The 
Coalition of Forces for Democratic Change," also appear to be 
struggling to stay together. 
 
End Summary and Comments. 
 
¶1. (U) On August 31, the AJD (Alliance for Justice and 
Democracy) announced that it had split from the BPC (Bloc For 
Change) political party coalition.  The BPC was Mauritania's 
first political party coalition, and the only coalition with 
a clearly defined platform, namely, supporting the rights of 
Afro-Mauritanians.  While the three remaining parties in the 
BPC have vowed to continue working together in the run-up to 
elections, AJD was by far the largest and most powerful party 
in the coalition, and their departure greatly weakens BPC's 
electoral prospects. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
INFIGHTING AND EGOS IN MAURITANIA'S ONLY "REAL" COALITION 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
¶2. (C) AJD President Cheikh Amadou Cisse told PolOff 
September 12 that "the coalition struggled from the 
beginning," adding that "each party wanted to control the 
direction of the coalition, and many members had their own 
personal ambitions."  "When the BPC formed, we were the only 
real coalition, with a plan to fight for the rights of all 
Afro-Mauritanians...but after a while, the coalition focused 
more on gaining power, and less on our support for 
Afro-Mauritanian issues," Cisse said. 
 
¶3. (C) Cisse explained that he finally decided to withdraw 
AJD from the coalition following the decision by the other 
coalition members to accept the membership of a fifth 
political party (the unrecognized Party for Mauritanian 
Development) headed by Abdelkoudous Ould Abeidna, a wealthy 
businessman and cousin of former President Taya.  "Taya was 
the worst enemy of Afro-Mauritanians, and the membership of 
Abeidna's party would be a betrayal of all of AJD's members," 
Cisse said, adding that "the other coalition members clearly 
didn't care about our cause, only our chances for political 
success." 
 
------------------------ 
AJD'S NEW ELECTORAL PLAN 
------------------------ 
 
¶4. (C) Cisse said AJD will not look to form or join another 
coalition before the municipal and legislative elections in 
November, but will instead run its own party candidates in 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00001144  002 OF 002 
 
 
those races.  "We don't have enough time to correctly partner 
with other parties," he said, adding that "after the 
elections we will assess how each party and coalition 
performed, and then make our decision as we move towards 
March's presidential elections." 
 
¶5. (C) AJD intends to submit municipal and legislative 
candidate lists in Guidimakha, Trarza, Nouadhibou, Zouerate, 
Gorgol, Brakna, and Nouakchott. 
 
¶6. (C) Cisse said that he has no plans to run for the 
presidency, and will instead seek one of Mauritania's 14 
newly added National Deputy Seats in the National Assembly. 
"Mauritania is not yet ready for an Afro-Mauritanian 
president, so I am not planning to run in March," he said. 
 
--------------------------------- 
CISSE'S PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVES 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Cisse refused to offer any names of presidential 
candidates he thought had the greatest chance of winning. 
However, he did say that "Mauritania's presidents have always 
had a close connection to the military, and this election 
will be no different."  "The next president will not be 
anyone the military is opposed to," he said.  In response to 
PolOff's question if the military council would intervene in 
the race, Cisse said he believed the council "would remain 
neutral in public...but would privately not allow anyone that 
threatened them to rise up." 
 
¶8. (C) Cisse said "the current coalitions and all but a few 
of the current political parties are essentially irrelevant." 
 "The race for the presidency will be decided by those with 
power...whether they are members of a political party, a 
coalition, or are simply independent Mauritanian citizens." 
Koutsis