Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Turkish general election was conducted fairly, given that one of the candidates was compelled to conduct his campaign from prison.

We actively supported the International Election Observation Mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). We have noted the concerns set out in its preliminary conclusions, including regarding access to media, and we encourage Turkey to act on the monitoring mission’s findings. We have previously made clear the importance of ensuring any legal processes against politicians are fair, transparent and respectful of the rule of law.