Kate Hoey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on support for the self-determination movement in Bahrain; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

On the matters of self-determination and legitimate government, we believe that governance of Bahrain is a matter for all political parties in Bahrain. That is why we encourage all political parties, including Al Wefaq who boycotted elections in November 2014, to engage constructively in political dialogue in order to reach an inclusive political settlement. Although we were disappointed by the opposition’s decision to boycott the 2014 elections, we commended the participation of a broad range of candidates which saw 14 independent Shia candidates win seats, of which three were women.