Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many observers the Government sent to the recent election in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and when those observers are expected to report back on the fairness of that election.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The UK has supported political engagement and strengthening of electoral processes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), funding civic and electoral education, electoral observation, and institutional support. We co-supported approximately 20,000 of the 40,000 observers deployed by the Committee of the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO), who covered all voting centres across the country. On 10 January CENCO confirmed that the provisional results announced by the electoral commission are not in line with the data collected by their observation mission. A small number of UK embassy staff were also on the ground on election day to unofficially monitor the situation, but are not in a position to report on the fairness of the election as a whole
The leader of the opposition in DRC, Martin Fayulu, has contested the results and filed an appeal in the constitutional court. As the Foreign Secretary said in a tweet on 14 January, due process must be respected on this legal challenge. This is a critical moment for DRC and the wider region.
Asked by: Liz McInnes (Labour - Heywood and Middleton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to encourage the Sri Lankan Government to find a peaceful and lawful solution to the current constitutional crisis in that country.
Answered by Mark Field
Following the swearing in of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka by President Sirisena on 16 December I made a statement welcoming progress made towards the peaceful resolution of the political impasse in Sri Lanka since October. This outcome is a welcome indication of the resilience of Sri Lanka's judicial and democratic institutions, and of effective checks and balances between state powers. The UK will continue to stand by Sri Lanka as a close partner and friend, supporting Sri Lanka as it works to deliver sustainable and accountable reform to reinvigorate the economy, improve governance, and safeguard human rights across the country.
Prior to this, I made statements on 26 and 29 October, and on 9 November, setting out our concerns at political developments in Sri Lanka and calling for due political and legal process to be upheld. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka met regularly with all political parties, and expressed our concern at the behaviour of some MPs in disrupting Parliamentary proceedings.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Iranian counterpart on the jailing of (a) Farajollah Bangaleh and (b) Mitra Badrnejad for practicing their Ba’hai faith; and whether he raised the Iranian authority's treatment of the Ba’hai people on his recent trip to Tehran.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We are particularly concerned by the continuing systematic discrimination, harassment and targeting of the Baha’i community. The British government supports the UN Special Rapporteur’s assessment that discrimination against the Baha’i community in Iran is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. Though we have not raised specifically the cases of Farajollah Bangaleh and Mitra Badrnejad, we have repeatedly expressed concern at the ongoing incarceration, and the shocking sentencing of Baha'i leaders and the wider community in Iran with the Iranian authorities.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
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 potential effect on the timing of a national referendum in Libya on the draft permanent constitution of that country of the amendments to the Libyan Constitutional Declaration of 2011, adopted by the Libyan House of Representatives on 26 November 2018.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is actively engaged in efforts to support the UN-led political process in Libya, the objective of which is to facilitate agreement with Libyans on a more inclusive political settlement, which would be the best way of stabilising the country. Constructive engagement by all stakeholders with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Salamé's Action Plan, including the National Conference, is essential to its success. The sequencing of a constitutional referendum should be decided by the Libyan people. The High National Electoral Commission has said that it will only begin the preparatory process for a referendum once the appropriate political, legal and security conditions have been met. We understand that discussions between the House of Representatives and High State Council on the restructuring of the Presidency Council are ongoing.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of progress on implementing the restructuring of the Libyan Presidential Council, since the adoption of the amendments to the Constitutional Declaration of 2011 by that country's House of Representatives on 26 November 2018.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is actively engaged in efforts to support the UN-led political process in Libya, the objective of which is to facilitate agreement with Libyans on a more inclusive political settlement, which would be the best way of stabilising the country. Constructive engagement by all stakeholders with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Salamé's Action Plan, including the National Conference, is essential to its success. The sequencing of a constitutional referendum should be decided by the Libyan people. The High National Electoral Commission has said that it will only begin the preparatory process for a referendum once the appropriate political, legal and security conditions have been met. We understand that discussions between the House of Representatives and High State Council on the restructuring of the Presidency Council are ongoing.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether the High National Election Commission of Libya has received legislation passed by the House of Representatives on 24 September 2018 to facilitate a referendum on that country's draft constitution.
Answered by Alistair Burt
It is important that a constitutional referendum enjoys widespread political support across Libya, as well as a sound legal basis. It is for the relevant Libyan authorities to determine the legitimacy of any legislative votes, according to Libyan law. From our diplomatic engagement with Libyan institutions, we are unaware of approved legislation to prepare for a referendum having been formally passed to the High National Electoral Commission. Agreement on a way forward on Libya's Constitution is a key element of the UN Action Plan for Libya, and will be one of the issues we expect to be discussed by the National Conference UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé intends to convene in Libya in early 2019.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether legislation passed by the Libyan House of Representatives on 24 September 2018 to facilitate a referendum on that country's draft constitution was approved in a vote of that House or a collection of members' signatures.
Answered by Alistair Burt
It is important that a constitutional referendum enjoys widespread political support across Libya, as well as a sound legal basis. It is for the relevant Libyan authorities to determine the legitimacy of any legislative votes, according to Libyan law. From our diplomatic engagement with Libyan institutions, we are unaware of approved legislation to prepare for a referendum having been formally passed to the High National Electoral Commission. Agreement on a way forward on Libya's Constitution is a key element of the UN Action Plan for Libya, and will be one of the issues we expect to be discussed by the National Conference UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé intends to convene in Libya in early 2019.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
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 potential implications for the timing of a national referendum on the draft constitution for Libya of legal disputes regarding legislation passed by the House of Representatives on 24 September 2018 to facilitate such a referendum.
Answered by Alistair Burt
It is important that a constitutional referendum enjoys widespread political support across Libya, as well as a sound legal basis. It is for the relevant Libyan authorities to determine the legitimacy of any legislative votes, according to Libyan law. From our diplomatic engagement with Libyan institutions, we are unaware of approved legislation to prepare for a referendum having been formally passed to the High National Electoral Commission. Agreement on a way forward on Libya's Constitution is a key element of the UN Action Plan for Libya, and will be one of the issues we expect to be discussed by the National Conference UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé intends to convene in Libya in early 2019.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the timescale for a national referendum on the draft constitution for Libya following the passage of legislation to facilitate such a referendum by the House of Representatives on 24 September 2018.
Answered by Alistair Burt
It is important that a constitutional referendum enjoys widespread political support across Libya, as well as a sound legal basis. It is for the relevant Libyan authorities to determine the legitimacy of any legislative votes, according to Libyan law. From our diplomatic engagement with Libyan institutions, we are unaware of approved legislation to prepare for a referendum having been formally passed to the High National Electoral Commission. Agreement on a way forward on Libya's Constitution is a key element of the UN Action Plan for Libya, and will be one of the issues we expect to be discussed by the National Conference UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé intends to convene in Libya in early 2019.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Tanzania on recent prosecutions of members of that country’s political opposition under the provisions of that country's penal code criminalising speech deemed insulting to the president.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
When I met the Tanzanian Minister for Constitutional and Legal Affairs on 11 October we discussed democracy and political space in Tanzania. On 2 November, following the arrest and detention of an opposition MP, the British High Commission in Dar es Salaam raised the case with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging the Tanzanian authorities to follow due process. We have subsequently also raised the case with the Minister of Home Affairs. We will continue to raise publicly and privately our concerns with the Government of Tanzania on developments which threaten democratic values and the rights of all Tanzanians.