Written question asked by Angus Robertson (Scottish National Party) on Monday, 12 December 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 14 December 2011. It was answered by Lord Bellingham (Conservative) on Thursday, 15 December 2011 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the conduct of the recent election in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Answer: I was pleased that the observer missions reported that polling day in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) elections was largely peaceful with a good turnout of voters. I am also pleased that, following lobbying by the British Government and others, the DRC electoral commission published results from each polling station. However 1 remain concerned at the reports of irregularities throughout the process, and particularly during the compilation of results. We continue to urge the Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante to address all reported irregularities quickly and transparently. We also encourage anyone with evidence of wrongdoing to make it public so that an overall assessment of the election process can be made and lessons learned.

Secondary information