VZCZCXRO0390
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #2599 3611638
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271638Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5917
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ACCRA 002599 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL GH
SUBJECT: NPP SELECTS AKUFO ADDO AS FLAGBEARER 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: On Sunday December 23, the New Patriotic Party 
(NPP) selected former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional 
Integration and NEPAD Nano Akufo Addo as its nominee for the 2008 
presidential election after a solid victory over 16 other 
candidates.  While Akufo Addo received approximately 48 percent in 
the first round, just short of the 50 percent plus one required to 
guarantee the nomination, his main rival - Alan Kyerematen - 
conceded defeat after most other candidates indicated that they 
would support Akufo Addo in a runoff and signaled that Kyerematen 
should concede in the interest of party unity.  Akufo Addo's victory 
will put the NPP in a strong position to confront the National 
Democratic Congress.  However, the choice also puts President Kufuor 
- with one year remaining in office - in a difficult and weakened 
position within his party.  By clearly supporting Kyeremetan and 
pressing party activists to do so, the Akufo Addo victory will be 
seen by some as a strong rebuke to Kufuor, who now must find a way 
to govern while the party rallies around its new flag bearer. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) After an NPP Party Congress that began at 11:00 AM on 
December 22, the counting of ballots concluded at approximately 9:00 
AM on December 23.  Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Nana Addo 
Dankwa Akufo Addo won 47.965 percent of the vote, with Former Trade 
Minister Alan Kyerematen in second place with 32.298 percent. 
 
¶3. (U) Following the Electoral Commission's announcement at around 
8:30 AM that Akufo Addo had received 1096 votes, it was clear that 
he had fallen short of the approximately 1150 required to avoid a 
runoff.  However, given this substantial vote margin over second 
place Kyerematen, most other candidates indicated that they would 
support Akufo Addo in the second round, and urged Kyerematen to 
concede defeat in the interests of the party. 
 
¶4. (SBU) President Kufuor arrived at the party congress just after 
9:00 AM, and several NPP insiders told us that an overwhelming Akufo 
Addo victory in a second round runoff would be a humiliation for the 
President given Kufuor's backing of Kyerematen.  Kyerematen conceded 
defeat at approximately 9:25 AM, publicly declaring his support for 
rival Akufo Addo.  Each of the defeated candidates successively 
conceded defeat in short speeches, pledging their support for Akufo 
Addo in the 2008 election.  The Congress concluded with President 
Kufuor briefly congratulating Akufo Addo and declaring him the 
victor. 
 
Controversy Amidst the Voting despite Calls for Unity 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶5. (U) Despite the display of unity at the conclusion of the 
Congress, the session was marked by controversy.  Shortly after 
voting began, NPP secretariat officials were forced to suspend the 
voting.  Kyerematen and Kufuor ally Paul Afoko - who was also a 
delegate at the Congress - was accused by other delegates of 
offering cash to them during the balloting process to support 
Kyerematen.  Afoku was detained by security personnel for several 
hours, and voting resumed shortly afterward. 
 
¶6. (U) During the Congress' opening speeches, party Chairman Peter 
Mac Manu, who had previously indicated to us his concern over the 
divisive NPP campaign, urged the party to maintain its unity.  He 
stressed the NPP's commitment to multiparty democracy, as well as 
internal party democracy, but conceded that the large number of 
candidates presented a challenge.  While urging delegates to vote 
according to their own free will, he also stressed that only one 
would win, and said the other candidates' duty would be to accept 
the results and support the victor. 
 
¶7. (U) In his opening speech, President Kufuor acknowledged that he 
was coming to the end of his term as NPP flag bearer.  He reviewed 
the NPP's achievements after seven years in power, and stressed that 
the party's record would determine its success in the 2008 election. 
 Notably, Kufuor indicated that he would support whichever aspirant 
emerged victorious, provoking loud applause from the assembled 
delegates. 
 
¶8. (SBU) COMMENT: Despite an acrimonious campaign, Akufo Addo's 
victory over Kufuor favorite Kyerematen will likely help the NPP 
unite as it prepares for an expected close 2008 contest against 
National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer John Atta Mills.  NDC 
activists had previously indicated to us that they viewed Akufo Addo 
as a formidable opponent, and suggested that they preferred 
Kyerematen.  In addition, the fact that Akufo Addo was not favored 
by Kufuor will likely increase his personal credibility among 
voters.  For Kufuor, Kyerematen's decisive defeat represents a 
personal rebuke from his party, and reflects a strain between him 
and party loyalists due to perceived efforts by the President to 
impose his choice of a successor on the party.  Several NPP 
activists have expressed the view that the party as an institution 
has been too subordinate to the Castle, and has suffered as a 
result.  Finally, this defeat could complicate Kufuor's final year 
in office as he attempts to seal his legacy. END COMMENT. 
 
BROWN