Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent election in Kazakhstan.

We refer to the report by the OSCE that the Presidential election in Kazakhstan on 9 June showed a lack of regard for fundamental freedoms, including the detention of peaceful protestors and widespread voting irregularities. The UK urges the Government of Kazakhstan to learn from the OSCE's conclusions, and to implement improvements to the electoral process.