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RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHLC #0430/01 2681518
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 251518Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1430
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LIBREVILLE 000430 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR A/C FOR LISA KORTE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREL GB
SUBJECT: GABON: OPPOSITION ORGANIZES TO PRESENT THEIR CASE 
 
REF: 09 LIBREVILLE 00421 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Eunice Reddick for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (C) A 19-member delegation representing Gabon's political 
opposition presented their case against the election of Ali 
Bongo Ondimba to the Ambassador on September 25.  The 
opposition is using its newly-found united front with foreign 
embassies and international missions to underscore their 
arguments.  Over the next week, opposition candidates that 
filed official complaints will be appearing before the 
Constitutional Court.  The delegation noted that they expect 
the Constitutional Court to finish its work and Ali Bongo to 
be inaugurated on October 5 even though the court has one 
month to consider the challenges.  Despite a lack of 
confidence in the court, the opposition continues to follow 
the constitutional process.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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OPPOSITION APPEARS AS A UNITED FRONT 
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¶2. (C) For the first time in the process to elect a successor 
to the late Omar Bongo Ondimba, members of the opposition 
gathered in one place to voice their collective opinion that 
Gabon's presidential election results announced on September 
2 are fraudulent.  The opposition delegation, composed of 19 
representatives of opposition parties and former presidential 
candidates including Andre Mba Obame (independent), Jean 
Eyeghe Ndong (independent) and Zacharie Myboto (UGDD), 
visited the Embassy to meet with the Ambassador and EmbOffs 
on September 25.  Also present in the delegation were 
representatives of former candidates Casamir Oye Mba, Paul 
Mba Abessole, and Pierre Mamboundou.  Besides the U.S., the 
delegation had already visited the French Embassy and planned 
to visit the South Africans, the European Commission, UNICEF 
and UNDP. 
 
¶3. (C) Up until this meeting, the opposition was disorganized 
and fractious (reftel).  The delegation noted that the U.S. 
Embassy was their second stop in a series of meetings, after 
a visit to the French.  Representatives in the delegation 
said that they viewed the U.S. as a fair broker in the 
Gabonese political scene, especially in light of other 
countries' congratulations of Ali Bongo's victory or public 
statements suggesting the election was free and fair. 
Despite their protests, the delegation said they expect Ali 
Bongo Ondimba to be inaugurated as President of Gabon on 
October 5. 
 
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OPPOSITION STILL REFUSES TO ACKOWLEDGE BONGO'S WIN 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶4. (C) While the grouping of political faces was new, the 
complaints were not.  The complaints fell into three broad 
categories.  First, that the ruling Democratic Party of Gabon 
(PDG) used underhanded methods to manipulate the vote count 
so that Ali Bongo was assured of a victory.  The delegates 
specifically cited irregularities in Port Gentil, heart of 
opposition to the Bongo family, and Haut Ogooue, home of the 
Bongo family.  The delegation also noted that even 
considering the numbers announced, the opposition commands 
more than 60 percent of the vote and that Ali Bongo will need 
to negotiate with the opposition to rule effectively. 
 
¶5. (C) The second major complaint focused on behavior of the 
Gabonese security forces.  The recent unrest and violence in 
Port Gentil is unacceptable, they said.  They noted that 
official reports claim three deaths occurred in the city 
during rioting, but that numerous unofficial reports and 
personal accounts suggest the number is at least 6 dead with 
possibly hundreds unaccounted for.  As for the capital, 
security forces in Libreville remain prominent with numerous 
checkpoints and searches.  One member of the delegation said 
he is afraid to travel home at night for fear that he will be 
stopped, his valuables confiscated, and then arrested.  The 
delegation called for an independent international 
investigation into the events in Port Gentil. 
 
¶6. (C) The third common complaint was that the PDG is 
monopolizing the media.  Local television and the state-owned 
media will not entertain requests for access by the 
opposition.  Andre Mba Obame, who owns substantial media 
assets in Gabon including a television station, complained 
that he is being refused access to his own broadcasting 
 
LIBREVILLE 00000430  002 OF 002 
 
 
equipment.  He said that the local regulation board will not 
grant the necessary permission and licenses (which he already 
owns).  Security forces are compounding the problem by 
restricting access by himself and his employees to the 
equipment.  The delegation requested the Embassy help them 
carry their story and complaints to the international media. 
 
¶7. (C) In a separate meeting earlier in the day, PolOff met 
with economist and former presidential candidate Albert Ondo 
Ossa.  Ondo Ossa complained of similar media restrictions 
saying that a local television show had requested an 
interview.  When he discovered the interview would be 
pre-taped and then edited, he asked for the interview to be 
broadcast live or that he get to approve the edits.  The 
television station, funded by the PDG, refused to allow Ondo 
Ossa approval rights or the ability to go on the air live. 
Ondo Ossa said the refusal was for fear that he might say 
something derogatory about the fragile economic state he 
believes Gabon faces. 
 
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L'UNION EDITOR ARRESTED 
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¶8. (C) Embassy contacts tell us that Albert Yangari, 
Editor-in-Chief and Director General of the state-owned daily 
newspaper l'Union was arrested on September 25.  When asked 
about the arrest, the opposition delegation said he had been 
arrested because of a series of stories in the last three 
days about the post-election situation in Port Gentil.  In 
those stories, l'Union claims six deaths occurred due to 
security forces, in contrast to the three deaths the 
government claims.  Further, the l'Union stories exposed a 
series of beatings and possible human rights abuses by 
security forces. 
 
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OBAMA'S U.N. SPEECH RESONATES 
----------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Already aware of the specifics in President Obama's 
speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Andra Mba Obame made a 
point to reference Obama's statement on democracy and the 
need to focus on deeds and not words.  "This is what we are 
doing," said Mba Obame. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶10. (C) This is the first time before or after the election 
the opposition has spoken with one voice.  It was clear in 
the meeting that the individual candidates are still not 
entirely comfortable with each other, with many of the 
statements directed towards their opposition colleagues 
rather than the EmbOffs.  However, the opposition has 
successfully slowed down the inauguration of Ali Bongo 
through the use of constitutional measures at their disposal 
to challenge the election results.  Also as a result of the 
delay, Ali Bongo did not travel to New York for UNGA because 
he had not been sworn in. The Constitutional Court has one 
month (from September 19) to consider the opposition's 
challenges, but apparently is pushing to hear all the 
candidates' cases over the next week.  There may be merit to 
their speculation that Ali Bongo,s inauguration could take 
place as early as October 5.  END COMMENT. 
REDDICK