Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) ECOWAS and (b) the African Union on ensuring free and fair elections in the Gambia in 2016.

James Duddridge

The UK has not yet had discussions with either ECOWAS or the African Union about the December 2016 Presidential elections in The Gambia. The 2011 Presidential elections in The Gambia were overseen by both EU funded election observers and the African Union, and recognised by the international community as reflecting the will of the people. We will work with our EU and regional partners to encourage the Gambian authorities to ensure the next Presidential election also meets accepted standards.