Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Ethiopia on the postponement of local elections in that country; and what information he holds on the new timetable for such elections to be held.

The Ethiopian Government has said that local elections will take place during the next Ethiopian calendar year, that is, between September 2018 and September 2019. We will continue to monitor closely developments regarding local elections.