Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the monitoring of the 2023 General Election in Sierra Leone.

The outcome of the June 2023 elections is for the people of Sierra Leone to decide. The UK and Sierra Leone are close friends and we hold regular, frank conversations with senior government interlocutors and other key stakeholders on issues of good governance, the rule of law and the importance of free, fair and peaceful elections in 2023. The Foreign Secretary passed on these messages to Sierra Leone's President and Foreign Minister during his visit in March 2023. The British High Commission in Freetown's 'Promoting Democracy and Electoral Freedom' Programme supports cross community dialogue among voters in Sierra Leone, with a focus on inclusion and violence prevention. The High Commission will also be fielding on-the-ground observers across the country throughout the election period.