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 conduct of the general election in Bahrain in November.

I welcome the elections held in Bahrain in November. Whilst it is disappointing there was a boycott by the opposition, I commend the election of a broad range of candidates and the election of a number of women. It is important that the Bahraini parliament fulfils its constitutional role and represents all the communities across Bahrain.