Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has assessed the recent Moldovan parliamentary elections as free and fair; and if he will make a statement.

The 30 November Moldovan parliamentary elections illustrate Moldova’s commitment to democracy. We support the right of every Moldovan voter to have their say on the future they want for their country without outside interference.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights-led international election mission’s Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions found that the parliamentary elections were "conducted in line with international standards and norms". And that, although the late exclusion from the election of one political party raised questions about timing and circumstances, there was a wide choice of political alternatives.

The UK provided two long-term and 18 short-term observers to the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights mission.