Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-12-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for pressing the government of the Central African Republic to delay the planned election until there is confidence that that election can be held safely and that all eligible voters will be on the electoral roll.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The British Government remains supportive of the elections planned for 27 December in the Central African Republic (CAR). This date has been agreed by the transitional government and the international community. Elections in CAR have already been delayed this year. Further delays would allow armed groups and spoilers to enhance their position and strengthen their rhetoric. There must be an end to the transition phase in order to secure a stable peace, and allow reconciliation to begin. By 16 November, when voter registration closed, approximately 95 per cent of the estimated electorate were registered, which is a significant success for the CAR transitional authorities. Out-of-country voter registration of Central African refugees and diaspora progressed more slowly, with approximately one third of the estimated refugee electorate registered. In the referendum on 13 December, judged a success by a UN Security Council assessment, many of CAR’s population turned out determined to vote. Through the international community, we will work to ensure that an elected president appoints an inclusive government representative of CAR’s population. Due to the commitment of the international community to the election date, agreement was found for some 300 extra UN troops to be provided to ensure security during the election period.