Written question asked by Neil Coyle (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 January 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 31 January 2022 (named day). It was answered by James Cleverly (Conservative) on Monday, 31 January 2022 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Russia: Tunisia

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the possibility of Russian (a) interference and (b) disinformation in Tunisia (i) at the last Presidential election and (ii) since that election.

Answer: Successful Presidential and legislative elections in 2019 were important milestones in Tunisia's journey since the 2011 revolution. The British Embassy in Tunisia participated in election observation of Tunisia's 2019 Presidential elections, with international partners. We remain clear that free and fair elections and functioning democratic institutions are essential components of a democracy. We strongly support the people of Tunisia in their pursuit of effective, democratic, and transparent governance. The UK Government takes the issue of disinformation very seriously. Internationally, we actively support NGOs and other organisations in research to inform technology companies, partner governments and others about the misuse of online platforms for disinformation purposes, and to disrupt advertising revenues from websites.

Secondary information