Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage free and fair elections in Commonwealth nations.

We are committed to upholding the principles of the Commonwealth Charter, including the inalienable right of individuals to participate in free and fair elections. Our High Commissions regularly engage with a range of political actors and institutions across the Commonwealth in support of those principles.

We also support the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat in this field: both its co-ordination of Commonwealth Election Observer Groups and the technical assistance it provides to improve electoral systems, practice and legislation in Commonwealth member states. In addition, the UK works closely with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to promote stronger parliamentary democracy in the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in April will discuss the protection and promotion of democracy. The UK will also join the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, which acts as the custodian of the values and principles set out in the Commonwealth Charter