VZCZCXYZ0024
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLC #0047 0261204
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 261204Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9540
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0377
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 1354
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0331
RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA 0943
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0854
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0756

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIBREVILLE 000047 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
KINSHASA ALSO FOR BRAZZAVILLE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2116 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM GB
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION PARTIES WALK OUT 
 
REF: LIBREVILLE 0001 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Barrie Walkley for reasons 1.4 b and d 
 
 ¶1. (U) The National Assembly members were sworn-in January 
24 and turned to the day's agenda: electing the President of 
the National Assembly and also selecting members of the 
"Bureau," the entity that controls the operation of the 
Assembly.  Guy Nzouba Ndama was, without controversy, 
re-elected as President of the National Assembly.  However, 
when it came time to select the fourteen members who, 
together with Ndama, would make up the Bureau, the opposition 
party members accused the majority PDG party of acting 
without transparency and complained of being sidelined. 
 
¶2. (U) Essentially, the complaints focused on the fact that 
in the last National Assembly the opposition parties had 5 
seats in the Bureau (even though only 3 small opposition 
parties were represented in the Assembly, the two major 
opposition parties having boycotted the elections).  This 
time -- with five opposition parties represented in the 
Assembly (including the two major opposition parties) and 
despite the fact that this time the opposition has three 
times the number of members it had in the last Assembly -- 
the opposition was being accorded only three seats in the 
Bureau.  Unable to secure an increase in the number of seats, 
the opposition parties, en masse, walked out of the session. 
 
¶3. (U) On January 25, the opposition parties held a press 
conference and explained their unified position.  UPG leader 
Pierre Mamboundou called for a minimum of 5 seats for the 
opposition, with a preference for 6. The opposition parties 
promised that unless they get more seats, they will boycott 
the Bureau throughout the five year mandate of the current 
National Assembly.  There is no indication, at least at this 
point, that they plan to boycott the National Assembly itself. 
 
¶4. (U) During the January 24 session there was no other 
business but the swearing in, selection of the President and 
of the Bureau.  The National Assembly formally opens on March 
¶1. 
 
¶5. (C) COMMENT: Undoubtedly, this is a matter of principle 
for the opposition parties -- they wish to be taken seriously 
and see stronger representation in the Bureau as a means of 
forwarding their agenda.  It is also, however, a matter of 
money: one of the Bureau seats taken away was that of the 3rd 
Vice-President, a position significant in controlling the 
Assembly's funds. The ruling PDG party won 83 of the 120 
seats in the National Assembly; it is not surprising that the 
PDG wishes to control the Bureau.  We anticipate that there 
will be some compromise reached before the Assembly meets 
March 1 and expect the opposition to seek President Bongo's 
help in resolving the issue. 
WALKLEY