Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the Bangladeshi government holds free and fair elections in future.

The 10th Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh were held on 5 January in accordance with Bangladesh's Constitution. Voters in more than half the constituencies did not have the opportunity to express their will at the ballot box and that turnout in most other constituencies was low.

The British Government continues to encourage Bangladesh's political parties to support political dialogue to find a long term solution to running participatory and non-violent elections, and urge that parties address the matter of political accountability. All parties should build the willingness and capacity to hold future participatory elections without fear of intimidation or reprisals.

The British government has also called on the Election Commission to mount a full and transparent investigation into reports of violence, harassment and interference in the voting process in recent local elections and take appropriate action.