VZCZCXRO8751
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHCO #0450 2111700
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291700Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY COTONOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0457
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1295
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0364
RUEHLMC/MILLENIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHDC

UNCLAS COTONOU 000450 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W DORSEY LOCKHART 
PARIS FOR BKANEDA 
LONDON FOR PETER LORD 
MCC FOR JBLOOM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KMCA BN
SUBJECT: BENIN: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AT STANDSTILL 
 
REF: (A) COTONOU 420 (B) COTONOU 201 (C) COTONOU 151 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Since July 7th deputies from the G4 and G13 (Ref B) 
have blocked all deliberations in the National Assembly. The 
deputies, who form a majority, demand the creation of an independent 
commission to investigate National Assembly President Mathurin 
Nago's management of the Assembly.  They also demand the 
installation of all the remaining municipal councils which have not 
yet been seated following the April 20 municipal elections.  This 
blockage endangers several government priorities including the 
construction of defenses against coastal erosion (Ref C), a bill for 
which must be approved by July 31.  In response the Yayi government 
has seated 9 of the 24 outstanding councils and opened discussions 
with former President Nicephore Soglo of the Renaissance of Benin 
party.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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National Assembly President in Trouble 
-------------------------------------- 
 
2.(U) On July 7, at an ordinary session of the National Assembly, 
deputies of the opposition G4, G13 and Key Force group voted down, 
in a heated debate, the session's agenda because it did not include 
a proposal for an investigative committee which they initially 
introduced to look into Nago's management of the National Assembly. 
As a result of this conflict, the first three-month ordinary session 
of the National Assembly adjourned on July 8, without deputies 
approving the bills on the agenda. Subsequently, opposition deputies 
boycotted the extraordinary sessions that Nago convened respectively 
on July 14 and 17 to examine and approve outstanding pending bills 
including a bill authorizing the credit agreements necessary for a 
coastal erosion prevention project east of Cotonou (Ref C). 
 
3.(U) The threat of a vote of no confidence has hovered over Nago 
since February 2008 as the opposition faults him for pushing 
President Yayi's policy at the National Assembly, too vigorously 
which they consider a threat to the legislature's prerogatives.  The 
proposed investigative committee appears to be the opposition's 
first step towards engineering Nago's dismissal. 
 
----------------------- 
President Yayi Responds 
----------------------- 
 
4.(SBU) On July 9, President Yayi met with the Presidents Conference 
of the National Assembly (a grouping of that body's leaders). 
According to Ephiphane Quenum, a deputy from the Renaissance of 
Benin party who was present at the meeting, discussions focused 
mainly on the installation of mayors in the remaining 24 communes in 
which the government suspended installation due to allegations of 
election fraud and protests.  Subsequently Issa Demole Moko, the 
Minister of Decentralization, Local Authority and Planning, 
announced that the Government had resumed installation of city 
councils in 9 of the 24 disputed communes. 
Nevertheless, at the July 17 parliamentary session the opposition 
majority deputies voted to continue to postpone all legislative 
action and threatened to block consideration of all new legislation 
until the government inaugurated councilors in the remaining 13 
communes. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
5.(SBU) COMMENT:  The opposition deputies in the National Assembly 
increasingly constrain President Yayi's room for political maneuver. 
 He needs their cooperation to pass important legislation, both for 
the coastal erosion bill and the legal code and land title reforms 
which are necessary for Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)-Benin's 
programs to move forward.  The opposition clearly senses an 
opportunity to put Yayi on the defensive after two years of watching 
him implement his program unimpeded.  Yayi has little other choice 
than to decide to follow the advice of some (Ref A) and begin to 
negotiate with the opposition.  The path of negotiation might prove 
particularly fruitful if he conducts it with those, like former 
President Nicephore Soglo, who are relatively untainted by the 
accusations of corruption which plague the leaders of other 
political parties.  Yayi also needs to move to seat the remaining 
municipal councils without further delay.  END COMMENT. 
 
BROWN