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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 001197 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2016 
TAGS: PINR PREL PGOV PHUM EAID KPAO MR
SUBJECT: ISLAMISTS PLANNING TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTIONS 
 
REF: NOUAKCHOTT 1193 
 
Classified By: CDA Steven Koutsis, Reasons 1.4(b)(d) 
 
----------- 
(C) Summary 
----------- 
 
-- Jemil Mansour, a key figure in Mauritania's Islamist 
movement, told Charge that Islamists are planning on actively 
participating in the coming elections. 
 
-- Mansour indicated that if the government prevented their 
participation, the Islamists would "respond in a 
proportionate way." 
 
-- Mansour's group has joined other parties in denouncing the 
government's recent meddling (reftel).  He threatened that 
continued government interference in the political process 
would lead to a boycott of the elections, "but we're not 
there yet." 
 
-- As Islamist parties have been denied official government 
recognition, they plan to run their candidates on independent 
lists. 
 
------------ 
(C) Comments 
------------ 
 
-- Mansour has consistently portrayed himself, and 
Mauritania's Islamists, as moderate and supportive of open 
relations and dialogue with the West. 
 
-- How the Ministry of Interior handles accreditation of 
candidate lists will be the next test on how open the 
government will be in the process. If past practice is 
indicative, the government will not stay entirely neutral. 
 
End Summary and Comments. 
 
¶1. (C) Jemil Ould Mansour, a key figure in Mauritania's 
Islamist movement, met with Charge September 27 to discuss 
Islamists' plans for the coming elections.  Mansour began the 
meeting by explaining that Mauritanian Islamists, represented 
by his unrecognized political party The Centrist Reformist 
Party, are moderate and want "direct and open relations with 
all our partners including the United States," and he 
stressed the importance of "an ongoing and open dialogue." 
 
--------------------------- 
ISLAMIST ELECTORAL STRATEGY 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Mansour said that, as his party is unrecognized by the 
government, they intend to run their Islamists candidates on 
independent lists.  He was confident that the group could 
establish lists at least in all the major cities, despite the 
government interference.  "The Mauritanian people will know 
that our lists are Islamists, and won't confuse our 
candidates with the governments independent lists," referring 
to the recent efforts by the government to encourage 
candidates to run as independents (reftel). 
 
¶3. (C) When asked what Islamists would do if the government 
banned them from running as independents, Mansour said "I 
have heard the rumors that this might happen, but it would be 
a very stupid move by the government and I don't believe they 
will do it," adding that "if they did so, we would find a 
proportionate response."  "Though unrecognized, we are an 
important political force," he said, adding that "this is why 
Colonel Vall met with us before the referendum and asked for 
our support."  Mansour, however, was concerned that the 
government would find ways to remove the more influential 
individuals from lists, rather than rejecting lists entirely, 
as a way to limit the Islamists' ability to attract votes. 
 
-------------------------------- 
ISLAMIST VIEWS ON THE TRANSITION 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) "We believe the best thing for the Mauritanian people 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00001197  002 OF 002 
 
 
is to have a transparent transition to elections and 
democracy," Mansour said.  "This is why we have supported the 
democratic transition since August 3, despite continued 
harassment and the withholding of recognition by the 
government."  "The problem," Mansour said, "is the word 
Islamist."  "There are extreme Islamists and moderate 
Islamists, and we are moderate," he said, adding that "this 
is why we prefer to call ourselves Centrist Reformists." 
 
¶5. (C) Mansour discussed the current political party unrest 
over the government's actions to encourage independent 
candidates (reftel) saying "the government has broken its 
promise of neutrality and this is a very bad sign."  He noted 
his group has joined together with Mauritania's other 
political parties to oppose this interference, adding "we are 
not currently planning on boycotting the elections, but we 
have not ruled out such an action." 
 
¶6. (C) Mansour said the National Independent Electoral 
Commission had an important role to play, but that currently 
it was "a little weak and lacked sufficient independence to 
be effective."  He also stressed the importance of national 
and international election observers. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
GOVERNMENT MAINTAINS ITS POSITION ON ISLAMISTS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶7. (U) In Vall's recent visit to France (reftel) he once 
again reaffirmed the government's position on Islamist 
parties, saying "there is no question and there will never be 
any question of authorizing any party in the name of religion 
and in the name of Islam."  He added "we shall not allow 
anybody to takeover what belongs to everybody.  In 
Mauritania, Islam belongs to everybody." 
 
¶8. (C) Mansour has a long history of activism in Mauritania, 
and was frequently jailed for periods of weeks to months 
between the late 1990s and 2005 (during the Taya 
administration).  Claiming asylum in Belgium from June 2003 
until February 2004, Mansour started the "Mauritanian Forum 
for Reform and Democracy."  Charge met him at his 
unrecognized political party office on the second story of an 
Islamic youth center. 
Koutsis